The Only Way is Up
by the reformist
Summary: The third part of Secter and Tatsumaki. After the disastrous entrance of Silan, Tatsumaki and her friends must fight against true evil to prevent Silan's vile ambitions from changing them and corrupting the world. As they compete on an ideological battleground, Secter and company fight their way through the strange and nightmarish Nothing to get back home and save those they love.
1. Chapter 1

The train rushed through the white void, a mass of sleek steel against the Nothing. It roared as it burst through the swirling and endless mist, barreling through to its destination like a bullet to its victim. As the final car blasted through the Nothing, it disappeared as it went on, leaving nothing behind but silence and a wispy fog.

Inside a middle car sat Sycamore and Secter, both of them staring down at the ground. Koros raised an eyebrow at them both.

"So…" said Koros, his arms crossed. "Your names again?"

"Secter," he said, his voice drenched in misery. "And this is Sycamore."

Sycamore raised his head as if to speak but lowered it back down at the sound of his name.

"Right," said Koros. "And Sycamore? Why Sycamore?"

"I wanted it to be different than my old name," said Sycamore, a despair-filled frown spreading across his face as he looked at the stains on his suit. "Moving on from…from here."

"Well, so much for that now," said Koros. "But like I said, stick with me, and we'll get out of here for sure. Then we can head on back, and kill that bastard and all his morons."

"He has the power of five," muttered Sycamore. "Was probably an officer back in the day, to watch people…how do we beat him, _and _all of his followers?"

Koros raised an eyebrow.

"Stab him in the head, shoot him, you know, the works," said Koros. "Same as any other."

"He said he could deflect elimination bursts," said Sycamore, his eyes and voice hollow. "I've never even seen that done before."

"With five?" asked Koros. He rubbed his chin, parsing through his memories. "Eh, maybe if he saw them coming, and even then, he'd be fucked in seconds. I've seen Soulless with six, seven, even ten try stuff like that back in basic training and it never turned out well. Silan was probably just trying to demoralize you, you can't trust anything that monster says."

"How much do you know about him?" asked Secter. He was only partly focused on Koros, for the rest of his mind was back home, thinking about what was happening to Tatsumaki and everyone else. Worry made his stomach turn inside out, the acid within roiling.

"He's just a sadist who pretends like he knows better than he does," said Koros. "Nothing more. Average Soulless trash with too much power at his disposal."

"Soulless trash…" said Sycamore, his eyes wide. "People being thrown out like trash…I've heard that so many times here…"

Secter could tell that Sycamore too was having far too many awful memories being dredged up for him. Every second of being in this place was like a jab to the heart, again and again until it stopped beating. Until one was no longer truly alive.

"You're not trash Sycamore…" said Secter. "Neither of us are…"

The car shuddered, sending Koros stumbling forward. Secter winced as the wall behind him shook his body, pain radiating through his shoulders and torso. Clenching his still-wet wounds, he grasped the wall behind him to steady himself as he crawled to his feet. Secter reached over to Sycamore, who watched him with glimmering eyes. Slowly, Sycamore took his arm. Secter pulled Sycamore up to his feet with a pained grunt.

"Fuckin assholes don't even know how to drive," said Koros. "Shocked that they don't drive straight into the Nothing, let alone where we're supposed to go."

The side of the car ripped itself open, and two Soulless stood on the other side, both wielding glowing rifles.

"Out," snarled one of them.

"Looks like our stop is here boys," said Koros. "Come along."

Secter watched the two guards as he limped along with Sycamore. Both of the guards wore full body armor, sloping down their chests in a series of grey V's and a columned helmet covering each of their heads. They watched as the three prisoners exited the car.

Around Secter was a torn-up chain link fence, holes ripped through the sides of the metal tunnel as if something had tried to tear its way out not moments before. Ahead of him was a tall building of grey metal columns, two black flags with white symbols of several claws entrapped by a dull diamond shape adorned upon them.

"Move," said one of the guards, who slunk behind Secter and Sycamore as the other walked to the front.

"We're going, we're going," said Koros, standing behind the guard in front. "Cool it."

"I don't want to be here," whispered Sycamore to Secter. "Oh God, I don't want to be here."

Secter gave a tiny nod, his eyes focused on the white sky above him. He swallowed, forcing his pain down his throat.

"Please…" said Sycamore. "Don't make me go back…"

"If you don't move, they'll shoot," said Secter. "We have to."

"Go!" snarled the guard behind Secter. He slammed his rifle into Secter's back, sending Secter crashing forward into Koros. The massive man didn't move an inch as Secter collided with him, only glaring back at Secter as Secter pulled himself back.

"Just walk," said Koros. "It's not fuckin hard."

Secter narrowed his eyes into slits of hate as he straightened himself up, with Sycamore shuddering at his side. Groaning, Sycamore collapsed to his knees as Secter tried to walk forward, jerking Secter back to the standing position.

"Fucking move!" yelled the guard. "I swear to God, I'll kill you both!"

"Sycamore," said Secter. "You have to move."

"No," moaned Sycamore. "I'll fight here, you'll have to kill me here."

Secter felt something sharp jab into the side of his ribcage, ripping into the skin between his ribs as it sliced its way through his bones. He let out a cry of pain and dragged Sycamore forward, the Soulless's knees dragging in the dirt underfoot.

"Move Sycamore," said Secter. "We'll be alright, but you have to move." His voice dripped with pain.

"I…" said Sycamore. "I…"

"Move," said Secter. "You have to. For Fubuki and everyone else."

Sycamore let out a small groan, wet and pained. He struggled to get himself to his feet, his head pointed at the ground the entire time he moved. One of the guards kicked him in the spine, knocking him forwards as he let out a cry of pain. Slowly, Sycamore crept along the path to the building with Koros and Secter.

They shuffled their way towards certain doom, with the front guard signaling to several other armed guardsmen standing at the top of the front towers of the building as they approached. At the front of the fortress two massive doors split open, gigantic slabs of steel turning to the sides as the group moved forward into a veil of darkness. The doors closed behind them, the Nothing becoming little more than a white light through a crack in the entrance up the middle. Koros strode forward into the dark, his eyes narrowing as a series of bright lights flickered on overhead. To their sides the chain link fence continued, creating a small area to their left and right which separated them from the walls. Behind one of the fences was a Soulless with a pistol, who sneered at two other Soulless who were slumped against a wall. Growling, the gunman turned over to see Secter hobbling along with Sycamore.

"You!" shouted the gunman to Secter. "Why not help me decide?"

"What?" asked Secter, unnerved.

"One's a thief, the other tried to escape," said the gunman. "Which one goes?"

"I…" said Secter. His eyes went wide with fear at the sight of the two Soulless hunched against the wall, neither willing to return his stare. "You…"

"Oh for the love of," said the gunman. Whipping back over to the two Soulless, he drew his weapon to waist height and fired into the first one's skull, before turning and firing into the other. Both fell to the ground, blood leaking out from holes in their heads. "There! You happy about this?"

Koros gave the gunman an odd look but continued forward. Secter froze in his tracks, prompting an exasperated gasp by the guard behind him.

"Secter you have to move," groaned Sycamore. "You said, we have to move."

Secter gave a small nod and shuffled forward, Sycamore steadying himself against him as he walked. Secter's mind had gone numb, the world around him fading to a fine grey as he dragged himself on. He felt like a corpse as he moved, his entire body still aching with pain as he clutched at his stomach.

_Tatsu, _he thought. _I don't want to be here._

The guards brought the group over to a twin set of doors which harbored an elevator. As the guard in front reached it, a rectangular and glowing device strapped to his side began to emit a high-pitched beeping sound.

"The hell?" asked the guard. Reaching down, he snatched the device from his leg and pulled it to the side of his head. "Fucking hell, can barely even hear even in here. Fucking Nothing, always messing with our shit."

Koros rolled his eyes as the guard talked, with Secter and Sycamore watching him with fear on their faces.

"Really?" asked the guard into his device. "Huh…alright. I'll send em up."

He thrust the device back to his leg and turned around to face Koros and the rest of the group.

"Apparently the chief wants to see em," said the guard. "Who the hell knows why, maybe he got a call from the big boss himself to meet with these idiots."

"Uh, alright," said the guard in the back. "Guess we send them up?"

"Sure, whatever," said the first guard. "So long as it doesn't get me in trouble."

"In the elevator," said the guard in the back, smacking the end of his rifle into Secter's spine. "Go!"

Secter stumbled forward along with Sycamore, pain bursting all along his backside. The first guard watched as the doors to the elevator opened, revealing a dull grey interior shrouded in darkness. He led the group inside and pressed a button at the top of a panel, while the guard in back went inside and stood at the door as it closed. The group was pushed back to the rear end of the elevator as the two guards stood in front.

Shuddering, the elevator's doors closed, and it rocketed upwards, passing floor after floor until it finally hit the top. With the doors opening again, the two guards led the group out into a broad hallway, white light pouring in from several narrow horizontal slits in the wall. They came to another entrance guarded by two other Soulless, who nodded at the guards as they drew close.

"Let em in," said a door-guard. "Ugh, why did I get this job."

"Because it's better than being out there," said the other guard, pointing to one of the windows.

The doors opened to reveal a massive office room, grey walls like the rest of the building and a giant window up front to reveal a startling view of the great void outside. The two guards pushed the group into the room before leaving them to shut the doors. Koros and the rest stood before a desk with a tall black chair behind it. A few seconds later, two armored Soulless emerged from an adjacent room to enter the office, one taller than the other and chewing on a black stick with green smoke clouding from it. The leader-Soulless led his companion, a Soulless with a scar over his eye, over to the desk.

"Ah, there they are," said the leader of the Soulless, chomping on his cigar. "Well well well."

"Well would you look at this," said Koros. "Look who's hit the big time."

"Indeed, indeed," said the leader-Soulless, placing a hand over his chest. He chuckled at the sight of the group. "Looking like you had a rough time out there eh? Hope Silan didn't hit you too bad."

"What does it goddamned look like," said Sycamore, his voice quiet.

"Eh, what can you do," said the leader-Soulless. "Tough to rein in every Supremacy cadre out there, you know? We barely have contact with them all, much as the higher ups are trying to rein everyone in. Got a real issue with random gangs lightly connected to us making it back to the universe and causing trouble. End of the war's scattered everyone, been that way for years, and Silan is no exception."

"These two had a run-in with him," said Koros, gesturing to Secter and Sycamore. "Killed a decent number of his people too."

Secter and Sycamore turned in shock over to Koros, who paid them no mind. Secter glared at the back of Koros's head, venom in his gaze.

"Really?" asked the scar-Soulless. "You two killed some of his people?" He stared over at Secter and Sycamore, his eyes gleaming.

Sycamore's legs began to shake. Any moment, those two could've decided to just gun them down.

Smiling, the scar-Soulless turned to his companion. He returned a slight smile.

"Good riddance," said the scar-Soulless. "That guy's been a pain in our ass for a while, he's been pushing some Supremacy higher ups to get us moved to a shithole far away too. He deserved what he got."

"Yeah, they got a good number of em," said Koros. "But how about as a little favor, you help us out in return eh?"

"Hate to break it to ya Koros," said the leader-Soulless. "But rules are rules. I got to have you stick around at least for a bit, otherwise some passing higher-up will chew me out. But of course, people escape from time to time, and I'm sure I could arrange a little something without anyone really noticing…"

Koros laughed. Secter and Sycamore stared at the leader-Soulless, their eyes wide.

"As if anyone would give a shit if we escaped," said Koros. "But alright fine, I'll stick around for a bit, do some of your dirty work. But we stay here more than a week and I swear to God, I'll tell everyone in this base about that time you pissed yourself back at the minefield."

The leader-Soulless chuckled.

"Ah, that was awful," he said. "Long time ago man, long time ago…ahhhhh, how things have changed." He smiled at Koros, the cigar pointing out from cracked black teeth. "Good to have you back Koros."

"Can't say I feel the same," said Koros. "But I guess that's what I get for beating the shit out of a Supremacy officer."

"Told you to leave those people be," said the leader-Soulless. "Well, leave _us_ be I guess, but eh, I don't plan to stick around with these people in the long-term."

"Don't blame ya," said Koros. "Still disappointed you even bothered to ally with these fucks."

"Hey, everyone flocks to the Supremacy to get out," said the leader-Soulless. "Well, mostly. Supremacy's got the guns, the connections, the ships to find the way out."

"And what they do when they get out is another matter," said Koros, clenching his fists.

"Yeah," said the leader-Soulless. "That's what happens when you throw a bunch of depressed, all powerful-aliens in a meat grinder and then let things go so bad they're left with no support system after a war. _They just get a little iffy_."

"Tell me about it," said Koros. "So where are we staying then, huh? Executive suite?"

The leader-Soulless laughed.

"As if we have an executive suite," he said. "No, I'm afraid not. But I'll make sure that you and your pals have a nicer stay than most of the rest. And I'll lighten up on the workload, God knows we have more than enough guns by this point and too many workers anyways."

"Alright," said Koros. "And, between you and me-" He leaned over to the leader-Soulless to talk directly to the side of his head. "I'd get those two out of here quick if you can, they seem decent enough and got pretty fucked up over returning here. I don't know em too well, but if you can speed up the process that'd be nice."

"I'll see what I can do," said the leader-Soulless. "But I'd still expect at least a week in here. Hate to say it, but Silan and all those other bastards are really breathing down my neck lately."

Koros retreated from the leader-Soulless back to his standing position.

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "Fair enough. Damned bastards."

"Alright," said the leader-Soulless. Gesturing to his two companions, he pointed over to the door. "Show these three to their cell."

"So hospitable," said Koros, shaking his head.

"Sorry, it's all we got," said the leader-Soulless. "You know this place ain't a fuckin hotel."

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "Alright, lead the way."

The group was led out from the room back over to the elevator, the scar-Soulless and another guard chattering excitedly about leaving their outpost one day the entire way. Back down the elevator they went, with Secter and Sycamore exchanging confused albeit slightly hopeful glances as Koros stood tall and undisturbed. The elevator plummeted down to one of the lower levels, opening up to reveal a dark corridor lined with various cells. Each one had a small slit at the top to allow white light to pour in, and the entrance to each one was adorned with several thick grey hexagonal bars, shimmering blue energy flickering in-between each one. The guards led Koros and the group to the first cell, and at the poking of a rectangular device on his side, the bars retracted down into the floor and the energy vanished.

"In ya go," said the guard. "Probably the cleanest cell we got anyways."

"Works for me, been in worse," said Koros. He strode into the cell as Sycamore and Secter limped in behind him.

"Oh hey, one more thing," said the scar-Soulless as he pressed his device and watched the bars go back up. "How come you stay in a human form Koros?"

"Cause I fucking feel like it," said Koros. "And because it pisses diehard Supremacist bastards off."

"I see," said the scar-Soulless. "That's how you find the real bad ones, huh? Never cared about humans myself, sure as hell don't blame them for _our _war. Just because the bickering was happening when we were trying to save other species' worlds, doesn't mean it wasn't happening prior to that, eh?"

"If only more people thought like you," said Koros. "Whole government was a mess, from start to finish. We've got no one to blame but ourselves."

Koros grimaced as he watched the two guards leave, and he slumped against one of the walls of the cell. Grumbling, he eyed the room and felt a wave of dissatisfaction wash over him as he realized the only place to sleep was the freezing cold floor.

"Best cell my ass," said Koros.

Secter collapsed down against the wall opposite Koros and Sycamore did the same. Sycamore peered down at the ground in contemplation as Secter narrowed his eyes at Koros.

"I…didn't think you'd have connections with these kinds of people," said Secter.

"Old pal, that guy," said Koros. "He's a fucking prick for joining with the Supremacy, but he did what he had to do. Me on the other hand, I just wander. Look for my own way."

"A week…" said Sycamore. "Koros, we don't have that long!"

"Why didn't we just try and fight those two, escape on our own?" asked Secter.

"You some kind of idiot?" asked Koros. "Neither of you are in fighting condition, plus that just makes more trouble than it's worth. We'll just stick around, do some work for these people, then the chief will get us out. It's as simple as that. We have no other choice."

"Fubuki might not last that long," said Sycamore, shaking like a sickly animal. "We have to find another way."

"There is no other way," said Koros. "Hard to believe, but we're getting the VIP treatment as is. This is the best we got, then we can find a way out, grab a ship, and end Silan."

Secter groaned.

"Need to get out of here," he said. "Have to get back to Tatsu."

Koros frowned at Secter and let out a deep sigh.

"Hate to tell you," said Koros. "But I'd start thinking about life without her. If she's with Silan, then her chances at living are ten times worse than ours at the moment."

"No," said Secter, shaking his head. "No."

"It's the truth," said Koros. "You can cry about it all you want, but that's just the way it is. You'll have to get used to it, and while I know it sucks, you're going to have to-"

"_No_," said Secter, bolting to his feet. Koros recoiled from Secter's sudden movement, but his shock quickly faded back to the usual irritation. "I won't lose hope, we're going to get out of here."

"Probably yeah," said Koros. "But she's gonna be gone by the time that happens."

Secter's teeth clenched together, pushing and pushing until his jaw turned sore. He balled his hands into fists, which only made his aching arms strain with pain.

"What, you gonna fight me?" asked Koros. "What good is that gonna do you?"

"Calm down," said Sycamore. He was on the verge of tears, his soul shattered by Koros's words, but he knew that Secter fighting would just lead to more problems. "Guys, just calm down…"

Secter wanted to smack Koros across the face. Turning to look at Sycamore, he sighed when Sycamore gave him a pleading expression. Secter was tired beyond belief, and he set himself back down against the wall, planting his face in his hands.

"And what about you tree-man?" asked Koros. "What's your game in this? You haven't said a word since we got here."

"Don't want to be here," said Sycamore, his voice tiny. "Really don't."

"None of us do," said Koros. "Ah for the love of - you two need to get your shit together and stop whining. The more you focus, the faster we can get out, and the faster we can go kick Silan's ass."

Sycamore looked up from his lap, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"You're going to help us fight?" asked Sycamore.

"Sure why not," said Koros. "Don't got much else to do, and I'm essentially a dead man walking anyways. Plus that Silan is a fucking bastard, he's screwed me over more than once."

Secter slumped back down into a sitting position, his anger giving way to tiredness. His body felt as if it were about to collapse in on itself, every breath a painful struggle as his shoulder shifted in an unnatural way.

"You're going to help too Sycamore?" asked Secter. "Once we get out?"

Sycamore sniffed.

"Yeah," he said. "Of course I will. Hate Silan, and I have to make up for my mistakes. It's the least I can do, part of the reason Silan even came there was because of me…"

"Buuuuullshit," said Koros. "Silan'd be there anyways. Quit beating yourselves up you two, you're battered enough already."

Secter and Sycamore exchanged exhausted glances.

"And get some damned sleep," said Koros. "You'll need it." He turned over to his side, grumbling as his body smacked against the metal wall behind him. "No fuckin beds, I swear to God the chief's not gonna hear the end of this."

"He's right," said Secter. "You should get some sleep Sycamore."

"I can try," said Sycamore. "Really shaky though."

"At least try," said Secter.

"I will," said Sycamore. "You should too."

Secter gave a small nod and slid further down the wall, his body screaming at him as his aching spine scraped against the steel. Hours went by with him sitting awake, with Secter occasionally glancing at a snoozing Koros and a half-awake Sycamore. Time seemed to stand still as there was no moon to rise to indicate night, and Secter's eyes refused to close as he stared out at the Nothing which blanketed the world outside. Somewhere far out there was Tatsu, suffering for doing absolutely nothing wrong. He choked up, burying his teary face into his arms.

. . .

"Ugh," grumbled Koros as he woke up. "Always fuckin forget I can't tell time here. How long has it been?"

Sycamore's eyes creaked open and he pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"No…no idea," said Sycamore. "And I remember, hated that too."

"Oi, Secter," said Koros as he rubbed at his eyes. "How much sleep did you get?"

"None," said Secter. "Can't."

"For the love of," said Koros. "Fucking hell, you're going to die out here."

"Can't stop thinking about them," said Secter. "If they're ok…"

"They're not," said Koros. "Get used to it, and move on."

Secter snarled at Koros, but there was not an ounce of energy in his voice.

"Well," grumbled Koros. "Looks like you still got time, could probably go back to sle-"

Two Soulless, both armored head to toe, walked over to the cell. The first one pulled out a glowing staff and smashed it along the sides of the bars, the metal ringing throughout the interior of the cell. Koros twitched at the sound and glared at the newcomers.

"Hey!" said Koros. "Knock that shit off!"

"Get the fuck up!" said one of the guards. "It's work time!"

"Ugh," said Koros. He turned over to Secter and Sycamore. "Making those guns sucks, let me tell you-"

"Oh you're not making anything," said one of the guards. "You're on corpse duty."

"What?" asked Koros. "The fuck? How did the chief allow this? Let me see him, surely there's a mistake."

The guard turned to his companion and started chuckling, his helmet bobbing as he did so.

"He wants to see the chief," said the guard.

"We can bring em," said the other guard. "I'm sure the chief would love it."

"Bring me to em," said Koros. "Fuck's sakes."

The guards lowered the bars. Both pulled out elimination rifles as the prisoners rose.

Secter grunted as he got up, his body straining from the effort. As he started to steady himself at mid-height, he stumbled forward. Sycamore wrapped an arm around Secter's torso, steadying him back to standing position.

"Let's get a move on, shall we?" asked one of the guards. "Go."

The group left the cell and followed the guards back down the hallway into the elevator. One of the guards brought his communicator back to the side of his head and began chattering away as the elevator's doors closed and it lurched to life. Reaching the same floor as to where Secter and company first entered the building, the guards shouldered the group out onto the main floor, where a Soulless with a devilish grin and a long flowing black robe awaited them. He snapped his head to attention when he saw Koros exit the elevator.

"Ah," said the Soulless. "So there you are."

"The hell?" asked Koros. "Who are you?"

"The chief," said the Soulless. "You must be Koros and company."

"What the fuck?" asked Koros. "The chief? No no, where's the real chief? The one who was here literally like yesterday?"

"He got transferred," said the chief. "We're under new management now. And I heard, that you and your little cronies-" He leaned forward, his grin revealing rows of dagger-like teeth. "That you all were getting special treatment."

Koros's mouth hung open, shock encompassing his features. Secter felt frozen in place, while Sycamore took a step back behind the two.

"And that just won't do," said the chief. "Run along you two, it's time to go to work."

"You fucki-" said Secter.

One of the guards behind Secter slammed his rifle into Secter's back, sending him sprawling to the ground. A loud _crack _sounded off in the air as Secter's head smashed into the floor. Sycamore crept over to help, but the guard raised his arm in front of him to bar his way. The guards snickered as Secter picked himself back up, blood dripping from the side of his face.

"Send them off," said the chief. "I have work to do."

Koros watched with incredulity as the chief wandered off, and snarled at the guards as they moved in to push them back towards the elevator.

"Time to move," said one of the guards.

The group was forced forward once again, this time with two extra guards accompanying them. They led Koros and his companions down a staircase, twisting down into the depths of the building. As they neared the bottom floor, a stench began to fill the air, a sickly sweet smell like diseased fruit.

"What…what the hell is that?" asked Sycamore. "How many?"

"Stop fucking talking," snarled one of the guards. "Only talk if we say to."

In front of the group, at the bottom of the staircase, was a giant metal door, two great slabs of steel with a vile smell leaking through the crack at the bottom. Grumbling, one of the guards walked to the door before slipping a helmet on. Sighing in relief, he entered a code on a numberpad next to one of the doors and stepped aside as they pulled themselves open. The three guards behind Secter and company were pushed inside, with the fourth following them all as the doors pulled closed behind them.

Ahead was a darkened room, slivers of yellow light emanating down from several dim lightbulbs up above. The room was full of a terrible stench, so thick one could taste it. It burned into Secter's nostrils and mouth as he lumbered forward, his eyes still hanging heavy and his body aching at every possible area. Outlined in the light up ahead was a thick pile of black, barely visible in the dim lights of the room. Secter squinted at the lumpy pile for a second, his eyes turning wide when one of the lights up above shone through an outline of a hand jutting out from the pile. Gasping, Secter took a step back when he realized what was all around him.

Bodies. Stacked and laying on top of each other until they were nearly ceiling-high, thousands of bodies lined the room in makeshift piles, dozens of dim glowing eyes and mouths adorning the faces of the deceased. Sycamore wrapped his arms around his sides as if he were suddenly caught in the midst of a freezing snowstorm, while Koros eyed the room with anger.

"The hell did you get all these from?" asked Koros. "And what the hell do you want us to do with them, they're all just gonna fade eventually anyways!"

"Some from here, some from out there," said one of the guards, jerking a finger towards the wall to gesture to the place beyond. "Now put em in the burner. All of em."

"What?" asked Koros. "What the fuck? You stupid bastard, I'm not-"

The guard sighed and whipped out a pistol. Sighing, he aimed it at Koros and sent a round blasting through his leg. Koros stumbled over, yelling out in pain as he clutched at the gaping wound in his leg. Blood flowing through his fingers, Koros snarled up at the guards, who chuckled at the hatred in his eyes.

"Start carrying em," said the guard with the pistol. "We were gonna give you shovels, but then you gave us lip. Go. Burner's in the back."

Koros turned to spot a massive open fireplace at the very end of the room, nearly a football field in distance away. A grey column led upwards from the fireplace to allow the smoke to rise up.

"Fuckin wonderful," muttered Koros. He straightened himself up and limped towards Sycamore, who was staring at the burner with wide eyes.

"I had heard of these…" said Sycamore. "Places where they sent the dead…"

"Supremacy's been busy these days apparently," grumbled Koros. "Or they just took a fuckin stroll, not hard to find bodies around here."

"But why?" asked Sycamore. "Why collect them?"

"Some people in the Supremacy like the idea of a proper burial for Soulless," said Koros. "One of the only things I would respect about them, paying respect to the dead and not just leaving them out like trash. Or at least I would, if it wasn't something like _this_."

"Stop fucking talking!" yelled a guard. "And start moving these bodies!"

"Guys," said Secter, walking up from behind. His gaze was distant and exhausted, but he stood tall as he moved. "Just move them. We're not gonna die in here."

"We'll need a new plan," Koros muttered. "Just fuckin wonderful."

They separated to start dragging bodies out from the piles and dragging them to the burner, the stench wafting in and burning their nostrils. Time stretched on forever as they worked, their spirits lower than the hellish room they had been imprisoned in.

. . .

"Mmph!" said Viskel as he stuffed the remnants of a footlong sub into his mouth. "Finally, some real food! Actual good food!"

He strutted around the center of the camp courtyard as the sun rose in the sky, wiping his mouth as he turned towards Vastal. The big armored Soulless was laying on a reclined lawn chair, both arms behind his head.

"I got another," said Viskel, reaching over to Vastal to show him an unwrapped half of another sandwich. "You want it?"

Vastal turned his head over towards the offering.

"No, I don't like cucumbers," said Vastal, spotting several pale slices in the sub.

Viskel raised an eyeline and pulled the sandwich over to his face.

"Hmm," he said. Reaching a hand into the sandwich, he plucked out every cucumber he could find and tossed them onto the dirt before reaching it back out to Vastal. "There you go!"

"You just tossed your hand into my food," said Vastal. "But fine, thanks." He reached over and snatched the sandwich, holding it near his chest.

"No problem!" said Viskel. "Ah, today's gonna be a good day. Finally, a good day! Tell you what, I'm gonna go see if Silan has something for me, then I'll be back."

"Knock yourself out," said Vastal.

Viskel gave a nod and sprinted on all fours over to the main building in the camp. Vastal turned to watch him go, shaking his head at Viskel's strange gait. Viskel burst through the main doors of the building and spotted Silan talking to another Soulless near the middle of the first floor. Running over, Viskel stood at attention, a big grin across his face.

"And get a more advanced comms system here," said Silan to his subordinate. "Can barely get any reception at that damned outpost, and I want updates. Make sure to install the best thing we can, and when you get the chance, tell them to do the same thing. About damned time we got our comms working properly, been far too long. Oh, and make sure our injured get adequate attention, I'm tired of losing people when replacements are getting so scarce…"

The Soulless nodded and ran off in a different direction, tucking a clipboard under his arm.

"Viskel!" said Silan, turning and grinning back at the Soulless standing before him. "Good to see you here my friend. Are you ready for what's to come today?"

"Without a doubt!" said Viskel. "Uh, what are we doing today?"

"Setup," said Silan. "And of course, _execution_." He chuckled to himself.

The doors burst open behind the two of them and in walked Greidhof, still head-to-toe in armor and grumbling as he walked.

"There you are," said Silan. "I have an important task for you."

"Here and reporting," said Greidhof. "The damned humans are all in place, what do you want me to do with them?"

Silan raised a hand and a clipboard with a sheet of paper materialized in his palm. Bringing it down to waist level, he handed it to Greidhof, who took the clipboard and eyed it with interest.

"I have made a list," said Silan. "Of the interesting people and the non-interesting people."

"Interesting people…" said Greidhof. "And…non-interesting?"

"Yes, all those in the first column you will transport here, to my society," said Silan. "The rest can remain in the cities, under your jurisdiction."

"The…non-interestings…" said Greidhof.

Viskel chuckled. Greidhof slowly turned over to him, giving him a furious glare from underneath his helmet.

"Oh Greidhof, that is still a great responsibility," said Silan. "You will have jurisdiction over far more people than me, that's for sure. Smile! This is a big day for you."

Greidhof shuffled his feet, staring back down at the clipboard.

"You will learn to accept it," said Silan. "That is unless, you think someone else would be better suited to the task…"

"No!" said Greidhof. "I'll do it. When do you want these people by?"

"Have them here by noon," said Silan. "I wish to present the guidelines to them, and let them have a little lunch. An orientation, if you will."

"Fine," said Greidhof. "Anything else?"

"That's all," said Silan. "You would be wise to appoint a second in command, Maske is a good option."

"Very well," said Greidhof. "I'll get to work."

"That's what I like to hear," said Silan.

Greidhof swiveled around and headed back through the main doors of the building, his eyes never leaving the names on the clipboard as he moved.

Viskel looked up at Silan, his eyes teeming with excitement.

"And me!" said Viskel. "What about me?"

"Ah Viskel," said Silan. "I have a small albeit important job for you."

"What? What?" Viskel stamped his foot on the ground repeatedly, happiness radiating from his expression.

"Go get the robot," said Silan. "The uh…cyborg. Yes, and strap him to the front of one of the huts to where he can see the main courtyard. Also, destroy all of his limbs."

"Ah…alright," said Viskel. "Isn't he frozen or turned off or something though?"

"Then re-activate him," said Silan. "In the meantime, I will take care of his bald friend…oh, and tell Vastal to get Tatsumaki and to bring her out to the courtyard. I wish to speak to her. She's very…_important_."

"Ah, ok!" said Viskel.

"Can you do that for me, dear Viskel?"

"Yeah!"

"Excellent. Run along then."

Viskel burst out of the main building, heading straight back to where Vastal was reclining. The hulk of a Soulless was lifting one of the buns of the sandwich up to peer inside and he twitched in his seat as Viskel skidded to a stop directly in front of him.

"You gotta go get the esper!" said Viskel. "Small one!"

Vastal grumbled as he rose from his seat, setting the sandwich down where he used to be laying down.

"Fine," said Vastal. "And do what with her?"

"Bring her out here," said Viskel.

"Silan gonna kill her?" asked Vastal.

"Dunno," said Viskel. "Don't think so, said she was important."

"That's some shit luck," said Vastal. "But fine."

Viskel burst off in the opposite direction and vaulted over the wall surrounding the camp towards the direction of where Genos still lay buried in the dirt. Vastal walked off to the hut on the other side of the camp.

Inside the hut, Tatsumaki lay on the floor with her sister, clutching Fubuki as she slept. The night had gone on without sleep for Tatsumaki, and her eyes still burned from the all the weeping she had done over the night. Groaning, she turned to her side, and stroked the back of Fubuki's head.

"Sis…" said Fubuki, her eyes opening. "Is that you…"

"It's me," said Tatsumaki. "It's me, it's just me…"

"My head hurts," said Fubuki. "And it's so cold in here…"

"I'm sorry," said Tatsumaki.

"It's not your fault…"

"No I mean for what I did," said Tatsumaki. "I'm so sorry."

"He threatened you didn't he…he killed Mumen…" Fubuki's voice was but a whisper, faint against the silence of the hut.

"He did," said Tatsumaki. Her body quavered as she spoke, her arms going limp over Fubuki. "I'm afraid sis…of what he's going to do to us…of what he did to Secter…"

Fubuki shut her eyes tight, burying her head in Tatsumaki's collarbone.

"I'm gonna cry," said Fubuki. "Sis, we have to get out of this…"

The door flung itself open, causing both espers to freeze. In strode Vastal, the sun glaring against his dull grey armor.

"You," said Vastal, pointing to Tatsumaki. "Up."

Tatsumaki's heart wrinkled into a raisin. She was terrified, but got up regardless, refusing to let her sister see her cower. Tatsumaki scuffled towards him as Fubuki sat up and wrapped her hands around Tatsumaki's midsection in an effort to pull her back.

"You let us stay in the same hut," said Tatsumaki. Her voice was thin with the nadirs of desperation dragging her down. "You have to help us."

"If you don't leave in the next five seconds, I'll beat the everloving shit out of you," said Vastal. "Move."

"Please," said Tatsumaki. "You have to help, this isn't right."

Vastal shook his head and stalked forward, snatching Tatsumaki by the hair and pulling her up until her feet were off the ground. When Fubuki lunged to pull her back, Vastal kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her plunging back. Tatsumaki screeched in pain as Vastal tore her towards the entrance by her hair and she grasped at his already-scarred arms.

"Stop!" said Fubuki. "Leave her alone!"

"Shut it," said Vastal. "Go back to sleep."

"Give her back!" screamed Fubuki. "Sis!"

Tatsumaki's eyes watered as she clawed at Vastal's hands, her fingernails scraping apart against his arm. Tiny streams of blood flowed down from beneath her nails as they broke against the steel.

"Bring her back!" yelled Fubuki. Crawling forward, Fubuki reached out towards Vastal's legs. "Sis-"

The door was slammed in her face and locked, leaving Fubuki alone in the hut. She banged her fists against the door as Vastal's footsteps grew more and more distant, tears flowing from her eyes. Smashing her hands against the entrance, Fubuki started wept as her hands turned red then purple from all the smashing. Fubuki slumped against the door, her tears finding the ground below.

Outside, Vastal had dragged Tatsumaki all the way to the front of the courtyard, and flung her onto the dirt as she yelped. Catching herself with her hands, Tatsumaki gave a hateful and tear-filled glance over to Vastal, her scalp on fire with pain.

"Listen here," said Vastal, his voice deep and full of irritation. "We are not friends. The only reason why I allowed you to sit with your sister was so that you'd shut the hell up. I do not care about you. I do not care about anyone. Now sit here and wait for Silan to show up, and if you make any sudden moves to get away, I will skin you alive."

"Why," said Tatsumaki as she rubbed at her eyes. "Why do you do this."

"Shut it," said Vastal. "And wait."

"And what did you do with Secter?!" asked Tatsumaki. "Where is he?!"

"Gone," said Vastal.

Tatsumaki's eyes widened. Her heart dropped thirty floors to her stomach. She collapsed to her knees, feeling as if her soul and every last spark of hope it contained was dissolved within her own insides. Everything became a black hole, a void from which Tatsumaki could see nothing good anymore, or ever again.

"No," she said. "No, no, no, no, no."

"He's on a train to the Nothing," snarled Vastal. "Don't start screaming, or I swear to God I'll knock you unconscious for a week."

"A…train," said Tatsumaki. She looked back up at Vastal. "To…the Nothing."

"You're never going to see him again," said Vastal. "Now shut it."

The void was giving way for Tatsumaki. She saw a single tiny light, and no matter how small, she intended to keep it shining.

"He'll get out," said Tatsumaki. "He'll find a way."

"What makes you so sure," said Vastal. "Took us fucking years to get out."

"He's done it before…" said Tatsumaki. "And…and…can't he just teleport out?"

"I take it you've never been there," said Vastal. "Place fucks with your head and your sense of direction, teleporting will only land in the void, which'll kill you instantly. No, only way is if you know the way back to the universe, preferably have a ship or something."

"He'll get out. I believe in him."

"He's doomed. You have no idea what's up there waiting for him."

A scuffling sound indicated the presence of Viskel, who leapt over the wall with a tattered Genos in tow. Humming to himself, Viskel charged over at the nearest hut across from the main building and he flung Genos to its front. Reaching over, Viskel grabbed both arms of Genos and tore them from their sockets before flinging them over to his sides. He did the same with Genos's legs, tossing them behind him. Then he pointed at what was left of Genos, and a series of twisted grey bars wrapped around Genos's midsection and melted into the sides of the hut, locking the half-destroyed cyborg in place.

"Ah, there we go," said Viskel. "Uh, but wait." Viskel turned over to Vastal, who watched him with arms crossed.

"He's off," said Viskel. "How do I turn him back on again?"

"Just activate him with your powers," said Vastal. "You didn't forget about those, did you?"

"Right," said Viskel, casting a downward glance to hide his rising tide of embarrassment. Smashing a hand on top of Genos's skull, a bolt of yellow energy ripped through Genos's body from Viskel's hand, forcing Genos's eyes to flicker to life. Blinking, Genos stared up at Viskel, who grinned down at him in return.

"Master…" said Genos. "Where is…Saitama…"

"Beats me," said Viskel. "But look at you! You're like a little doll, but with no limbs. Have fun just sitting there!"

"You…look like Sycamore," said Genos. "But you're not…where is everyone? What has happened? Explain!"

"Hehehehehe," said Viskel. "This guy doesn't even know what's happening Vastal! Welcome to Silan's camp! You're gonna be stuck here for a long time…"

"Who…who is this Silan," said Genos. "I don't understand."

Across from him came Silan, carrying a limp Saitama under one arm. Smirking, Silan raised an arm and a pole materialized in the center of the courtyard, stretching tall into the sky.

"Saitama?" asked Tatsumaki. "What are you doing with him?"

"He's stuck here too," said Vastal. "Now shut it."

Silan flung Saitama into the pole and watched as a series of grey bars wrapped around his body to tie him to the structure. Chuckling, Silan tapped Saitama on the head and began to walk towards Tatsumaki. Saitama's eyes flickered open, and he winced as he felt a fireball of pain tear through his skull. A dull red gash was still stretched over the top of his head, and he blinked in confusion as he took in his surroundings.

"What…" said Saitama. "The hell…is going on."

"Master!" said Genos. "Are you alright?"

"No, not really!" said Saitama. "I got a massive headache, and I think I dreamed some weird alien guy knocked me out-"

Silan turned to face Saitama, standing directly in front of Vastal and Tatsumaki.

"Quite the vivid dream, I imagine," said Silan. "Welcome Saitama, to my society. My name is Silan, and I'll be your leader from now on."

"What the hell…" said Saitama. "Wait…it was you! You were the one who knocked me out! Ah fuck…my head…"

Saitama struggled against the bars which locked him in place, his eyes narrowing in utter confusion as he tried to force his way through.

"Uh, what is this stuff?" asked Saitama. "Why can't I break it?"

"Are you happy now, Saitama?" asked Silan. "You got the fight you always wanted. And well, just look at the consequences."

"The fuck?!" asked Saitama. "I can't get out! And I never asked you to be here!"

"Master!" yelled Genos. "I can detect hostility from these people, we have to beat them!"

"Working on it Genos!" said Saitama, still shifting in his makeshift prison.

"Welcome to real life," said Silan. "Full of the troubles and miseries this planet seems to miss out on. But, I think you'll find that we're more than hospitable. Please, do catch up with your friend, we have a long agenda for today."

Silan chuckled as he turned back towards Tatsumaki. He smiled as he witnessed the look of pure hatred on her face.

"Did you get a good rest, Tatsumaki?" asked Silan. "Oh dear, it doesn't look like it. A shame, you will need your energy for today."

"Why," said Tatsumaki. "Are you doing all this. Why. Why did you make me hurt my sis. Why?! Answer me, you fucking asshole! Why did you send Secter back to the Nothing! Why?!"

"Because…" said Silan. "Viskel?"

"He is God!" said Viskel, his arm thrusting to the sky as he pointed to the clouds.

"Precisely," said Silan. "I do as I please, and I have my plans. And these plans…well, they're just how real life really is, my dear Tatsumaki! It's full of the pain and suffering we Soulless have endured in isolation for so long! Now, I have big ideas for you, Miss Tatsumaki, and I am certainly glad to talk in a less…hostile environment."

Tatsumaki rose to her feet, and reared back a fist, aiming for Silan's face. As she pulled her hand back, Vastal smacked her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground.

"Ah yes," said Silan. "No need Vastal, no need. This woman, oh yes, this woman will be a great fit to be the leader of her community! She fits the bill perfectly. Oh Tatsumaki, I do hope you accept this honor."

Tatsumaki coughed as she sat back up, her stomach aching from the impact.

"Quit hitting her!" shouted Saitama. "What the hell are you guys doing?!" Fear layered his voice, a sound that almost made Silan squeal with joy.

"Master, they are hostiles!" said Genos. "We have to take them down!"

"I like this guy," said Viskel as he pointed at Genos. "He's really stupid though."

"You will be a leader for these people Tatsumaki," said Silan, his eyes gleaming as he stared down at her. His shadowy form blocked out the sky as she looked up. "You will be their hope, I can see it now."

"Fuck you," said Tatsumaki, her teeth gritted together. "You're going to pay for all this, you hear me?! You're going to fucking pay!"

"I doubt that immensely," said Silan. "Karma doesn't harm me in a world which I control." Rearing back, Silan chuckled as he turned around. "But of course, this does not mean I can't be kind. No, as a matter of fact I would like to treat you all to a nice meal, as we review our guidelines."

With a sly smirk, Silan made a circular table of steaming plates of food appeared in the middle of the camp to the side of the courtyard, delicious scents wafting through the air. Roast chicken, plates of colorful fruits, pans of iced desserts, and a tall cake adorned the table, along with a series of chairs all along the way.

"You will need to eat, gather your energy," said Silan. "I can't have you all starving on me, I want you all to _live_." Chuckling again, Silan turned back to look behind Tatsumaki. As his gaze settled on a spot of earth between two of the huts, a massive stone obelisk rose from the ground, shaking and rumbling as it tore through the dirt and up into the sky. Upon the obelisk were a list of rules etched into the stone.

"And our most important guidelines, which we will review once all of our citizens are here," said Silan. He looked back down at Tatsumaki. "You live under us now, Tatsumaki. Best get used to it."

"Yeah, get used to it!" said Viskel.

Silan gave an irritated sigh.

"All in all," he continued. "You're in good hands. We'll all be living together for a very, very long time I think."

"No…" said Tatsumaki. "Secter's coming back. Him and Sycamore are going to come back, and kill you for this."

Silan leaned down towards Tatsumaki, until his face was inches from hers. Tatsumaki pulled back, her eyes wide with fear.

"They're long gone now, Tatsumaki," said Silan. "They just don't know it yet."

. . .

Silan smiled as a ship approached the courtyard, leaning away from Tatsumaki and striding back over to the table he had made. The aircraft landed not far from the main courtyard, dust billowing up from the sides as it landed.

"There they are," said Silan. "Right in time for lunch."

Tatsumaki watched the ship as it landed, fear and confusion plaguing her mind. Vastal strode over to the ship and laid a hand on it as the side door slid open and several people stumbled out.

Bang, King, Metal Bat, Blast, and Atomic Samurai all stepped out from the ship, each one looking around in a daze. A dark bruise adorned Metal Bat's forehead, and he rubbed at it incessantly as he walked.

"Ah, I am sure that Greidhof and company briefed you on the situation," said Silan. "But come! Eat. You'll need the sustenance."

"Like a bad dream…" muttered Atomic Samurai. "How the hell are we gonna get out of this…"

"Hey, asshole!" said Saitama to Silan. "What about me?"

Silan turned over to him.

"I'm not sure Saitama…" said Silan. "Do you promise to behave if I let you free?"

"Not sure," said Saitama. "Pretty pissed at you right now."

"Master…" said Genos, staring over at his constricted friend. "Were you beaten? Why can't you break out?"

"Yeah Genos, yeah," said Saitama. He stared at the ground. "I think…I think that's what happened."

"Well of course it's what happened," said Silan. "You can't win here. You're best off following us. Now come along everyone, and that means you too, Tatsumaki."

Silan strode over to the table again, joy gleaming in his eyes. He gestured to the seats for people to sit at.

"Where…" grumbled Blast as he shuffled along. The ship rose into the sky as the group neared the table, and took off back towards the nearest city. "What is all this? Did Sycamore do this?"

"He certainly caught our attention," said Silan. "But have no fear, Sycamore is long gone now."

"Master…" said Genos. "How…"

"I don't know," said Saitama. "I just don't know."

"Sit!" said Silan, his voice bright as he watched the group take their seats at the table. "And eat! Then we review the guidelines."

"This place is off-putting," said Bang as he sat down. "What exactly do you intend to do with us…Silan?"

"That's my name," said Silan. "And I intend for you to live here. For as long as I say."

"So long as no harm comes to us," said King, sweat beading down his forehead. "Otherwise, I'll have to unleash the King Engine."

Silan gave King a noxious grin, to which King leaned away from in his seat. Blast stared down at the ground as he sat, his eyes grim.

"We're doomed," he muttered. "These people are all the same kind as Sycamore, we are doomed."

"Calm yourself Blast, there's no reason to be worried," said Silan.

Metal Bat sat down while still rubbing at his forehead, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Damn, hit me hard," he said. "What's all this though? Food? What for?"

"Sustenance," said Silan.

"And where'd you take my bat?" asked Metal Bat.

"You won't get it back," said Silan. "Now eat."

Silan spotted Tatsumaki shuffling towards the table as Metal Bat barked at him for his weapon back. Eyes widening, he sifted around the side like a shadowy liquid, splashing over from the end of the table and rushing towards Tatsumaki. He regained his form directly in front of her, creating a gigantic black wall to block her path. Tatsumaki froze, stopping dead short.

"Oh, Tatsumaki," said Silan. "Where is your sister? Will she not be joining us today?"

"She…" said Tatsumaki. "She is…"

"Probably locked in," said Vastal, who had left his earlier spot to wander over towards Saitama.

"Is that so…" said Silan. "Well, you may retrieve your sister if you wish, Tatsumaki. Vastal, go with her to unlock the door."

Vastal grumbled.

Tatsumaki twitched as Vastal pushed her forward, marching her along to the hut in which her sister was kept in. Reaching for the door, Vastal tapped on the wall near the handle and a numberpad seethed out of metal. Inputting a code, Vastal took a step back as the door swung open.

"Get out," he said. Tatsumaki walked over to his side to peer inside the hut.

Towards a darkened corner of the hut sat Fubuki, her head buried in her arms. She looked up at Vastal as he spoke, sniffling. Both of her eyes were pink and puffy from earlier, and her hands were shaking as she straightened her head up.

"Sis," said Tatsumaki. "You can come out. It's ok."

Fubuki rose to her feet, rubbing her arm over one of her eyes. With a small gasp, she ran out towards Tatsumaki and crashed into her, wrapping both of her arms around her sister as Tatsumaki stumbled backwards.

"I thought you were dead sis," said Fubuki, her voice quavering. "I thought you were dead…"

"I…I'm alright," said Tatsumaki, her own eyes starting to burn as she hugged her sister back. "It's ok."

Vastal stared at the two embracing sisters, crossing his arms at them.

"You two done yet?" he asked. "Let's move."

Fubuki glared over at Vastal, tightening her arms over Tatsumaki as a burning rocket of hatred shot up from her stomach to her heart. Letting her sister go, Fubuki turned away from Vastal along with Tatsumaki. Vastal marched them back over to the table, with all of the occupants of the table turning to see them approach.

"And they're all here," said Silan. "Good to see you up and moving again, Fubuki."

"You," said Fubuki, stopping just short of the table. "You killed Mumen!"

"Ah, I was just getting to that," said Silan. He turned to see the shocked faces of every hero looking upon him, Saitama's radiating as much anger as confusion. "Yes, Mumen Rider is dead now. I expect we'll all be having a fine funeral service for him today."

Saitama stared over at Silan, his mind turning numb. He tried to bring himself to his feet, but the bars around his body locked him in place. Gritting his teeth, Saitama struggled to try and rip the bars apart while Silan paid him no mind.

"He was a good man," said Bang, horrified. "Why? Why would you kill him?"

"Truth be told, it was really Tatsumaki's fault," said Silan. "Consider it an example. Let's consult the guidelines to find out why it's on her, shall we?"

"It wasn't my sister's fault!" said Fubuki, smashing an already bruised fist down onto the table. "You killed Mumen of your own volition, you fucking monster!"

Tatsumaki's eyes widened with fear at Fubuki's words. She turned over to her sister, laying a hand on her arm.

"Sis," said Tatsumaki. "Just…calm down a second-"

"And there was reason for it," said Silan. "Let's take a look at the community guidelines now."

He chuckled as he walked over to the stone obelisk which jutted forth from the ground, and gestured to the first etched sentence at the top of the list engraved upon the rock.

"Take a look," said Silan. "These rules are important."

All of the heroes stared at Silan, hatred and fear amongst their eyes. As Vastal began to walk towards Fubuki and Tatsumaki, Tatsumaki pulled Fubuki back behind her but let out a small sigh of relief when Vastal kept going past them to stand by Silan. Silan pointed to the entry at the top of the list and slowly slid his hand down the obelisk, every sentence becoming illuminated with light from within the obelisk as he moved his hand.

1\. OBEY SILAN.

2\. IF YOU DO NOT OBEY SILAN, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.

3\. YOU WILL NOT LEAVE UNLESS ALLOWED TO BY A SUPERIOR.

4\. OBEY YOUR SUPERIORS.

5\. IF YOU DO NOT OBEY YOUR SUPERIORS, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.

6\. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, REPORT IT TO A SUPERIOR – YOU WILL BE REWARDED FOR REPORTING MALFEASANT BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF OTHERS.

7\. KEEP AN EYE ON THE GUIDELINES, THEY WILL BE UPDATED AND CHANGED.

8\. RELAX. YOU ARE IN GOOD HANDS NOW.

"Simply put," said Silan. "Tatsumaki violated guideline one, and was then subjected to guideline two."

"Those aren't guidelines…" said King. "Those are rules…"

"Oh, sometimes we follow them more loosely," said Silan. "But if I were you, I would adhere to them quite strictly, unless you want to risk the consequences."

Metal Bat bolted from his seat, anger plaguing his expression.

"Fuck this!" said Metal Bat. "Let me out of this damned camp! Let me see my sister! I'm not listening to you, or any of your damned rules, you fucking murder-"

Metal Bat was flung back into his seat, the breath being knocked out of him as he was slammed back down. Shocked, Metal Bat tried to get back up but found himself glued to his seat, unable to move even an inch. Panic set into his expression as he sat still as a statue. Silan shook his head.

"Those are all of the guidelines for now," said Silan. "And surely you must've skipped over guideline three, Metal Bat. You won't be going anywhere." Chuckling, he raised his arms to his sides, his tattered white garment flowing in the wind. "If I were all of you, I would act as good little citizens, and perhaps you will be rewarded as such…"

"When I get out of this, I'm going to kill you," said Saitama. "I don't think I've ever been this angry before, but I'm sure as hell angry now."

"Master, we need a plan," said Genos. "We can't fight them like this."

"You won't fight at all," said Silan. "We have a low tolerance policy for you all trying to enact violence upon us. It simply won't do for our community. And Vastal and the rest know we've certainly been treated to enough violence!" He laughed.

"I mean, unless you want to fight," said Viskel. "I'd fight you, I'd kick your ass."

"Shut it Viskel," said Vastal. He sounded like he just wanted everyone to go to sleep.

Viskel shrugged.

"Just saying," he said.

"Restrain yourselves, and that means you too, Viskel," said Silan. "And be happy! You're being served delicious food, and we will hold a memorial service for dear Mumen Rider once you are all done. This is what a responsible society would do, no? So enjoy yourselves for now, and learn to forget about the past. You're going to need that skill if you want to flourish here."

Silan laughed and strode past Vastal towards the main building.

"Make sure they eat at least a little," said Silan. "I'll return soon."

Grinning, Silan walked past the table, ignoring the glares he got from the heroes. Further down the path he went, until he eventually made it to the main building. He entered the building and shut the door behind him.

"Fucking monster," muttered Tatsumaki. Looking up at Fubuki, she frowned as she saw the weathered look on her sister's face. "Sis, you shouldn't have said that. He's going to remember it."

"He's a bastard," said Fubuki. "I…I don't care what he does, he's a vile, awful, psychopathic murderer!"

"I know!" said Tatsumaki. "I know…but I don't want anyone provoking him…he could do terrible things to us."

"Now you're getting it," grumbled Vastal as he walked over to the nearest hut and leaned against the side. "Shut it, do as you're told, and there won't be any issues."

Fubuki collapsed down onto a chair at the table, with her sister doing the same. Her body aching, Fubuki winced as she leaned her head and arms over the table. Next to her, Metal Bat let out a sharp gasp as he regained control of his body.

"What…the fuck…was that," said Metal Bat. "He some kind of psychic?"

"They're far beyond anything we are capable of," said Bang. "This doesn't bode well."

Atomic Samurai quietly sipped a glass of water, his eyes narrowing at the food down below him. Like Metal Bat, his weapon of choice was absent at his waist.

"Oh I don't think so," said Saitama. "Just wait, I didn't even get a chance to hit the bastard. Once I'm out of this, oh he's dead. He's so dead." Looking over at Genos, Saitama gave a weak smile. "Right Genos?"

Genos was staring at the ground while Viskel sat not far from him.

"Master…" said Genos. "You can't even move."

"Well yeah, I mean when I'm out!" said Saitama. "Then I'll get him!"

"If you say so Master," said Genos, looking totally despondent.

Saitama frowned at Genos before turning to look at Tatsumaki.

"Did you…see it happen?" he asked. "See Mumen?"

"I did," said Tatsumaki, her eyes growing distant. "Silan wanted me to…hurt my sis, and when I hesitated, he killed Mumen. Said he'd kill more if I didn't do what he wanted."

Looks of shock and fury from around the table. Metal Bat grasped the edge of the platform and squeezed, the metal underneath refusing to bend no matter how much pressure he put on it. Blast looked over at Tatsumaki, defeat etched into his face. He turned to look back at the food set upon him, his arms limp at his sides.

The next hour went on in silence, with only King poking at a few morsels of food. Vastal fell asleep against the side of the hut while Viskel stared off into the distance, his arms crossed over his chest in a show of boredom. Tatsumaki eyed the other group members of the table, her eyebrows furrowing with worry.

_This…is a specific group, _she thought. _Why just them? We have Saitama's friends…and Metal Bat, Blast, and Atomic Samurai? Why? Why them? _

Looking around at the people assembled before her, Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around herself, blinking down at the food below her. She felt cold despite the air being otherwise, alone at the table despite its occupants.

_Secter, please be ok, _she thought. _Please, wherever you are, I miss you so much, I love you so much…_

Tears began to fall from Tatsumaki's face as she stared at the table. Shutting her eyes tight, she prayed that when she opened them back up, everything would be back to normal. Secter would be waiting for her with his goofy smile and open arms, Fubuki would be smiling and everyone else would be happy and doing their thing. When she opened her eyes, she heard Silan burst through the doors of the main building. Her heart withered, shrinking and shriveling into a beating prune, that of a dying woman.

"Lunch time has ended," said Silan. "Everyone, to the back of the building, for a short service."

Vastal rose from his spot against the side of the hut, suddenly awake.

"Move," he snarled. "Or I start shooting."

"Bit tied up," said Saitama.

"Shut the fuck up," said Vastal. "You're not going."

"Don't be rude Vastal," said Silan. "Now everyone, come along."

The residents of the table rose one by one, with Tatsumaki being the last to get up. She watched as they were all forced forward by Vastal, Metal Bat and Atomic Samurai giving glares back over to the lumbering Soulless as they moved forward.

"Yes, this group will do for now," said Silan. "Might make some additions in the following weeks…"

He strode towards the back of the main building, leading the group to a clearing devoid of huts. A giant metal wall served as their background, outlining the end of the road for the despair-filled group. In the center of the clearing was a mound of dirt, raised above the rest of the ground like a hole that had been haphazardly filled in not moments before.

"Ah," said Silan. "Unfortunately, Mumen's body was never recovered, so we'll just have to make do with an empty grave." Chuckling, Silan walked forward and withdrew a stick from the ground, spotted and white. "And here."

He thrust the stick into the pile, letting it stand upright before stepping back.

"A full-fledged grave," said Silan. Turning over to the shocked group, he let out a laugh. "Oh come on, none of you even knew his real name. You best get used to being thrown out like trash, it's what happened to us after all!" He chuckled, pleased with his vile analogy.

Fubuki snarled at Silan, her eyes going wide with fury.

"He was my friend!" said Fubuki. "He helped me and my group!"

"Tatsumaki, you might want to mask your sister's anger," said Silan. "She certainly is a feisty one, brave but very disruptive."

Tatsumaki's gritted her teeth until they hurt, pain shooting through her gums and echoing throughout her mouth.

"So…that's it huh," said Atomic Samurai. "This isn't a proper service."

"It's proper on our terms," said Silan. "As a matter of fact, Mumen Rider is lucky to be remembered, let alone get a commemorative burial. Consider him lucky. Some of you might not get the same luxury."

Silan smiled at the shocked responses he got. Only Tatsumaki kept a grim, hateful expression.

"Yes, well there you go, you know where his marker is," said Silan. "Don't let time take his name away, won't you? Haha. Go on now, it's getting to be the afternoon. Time to go back to your homes."

"But we just-" said King.

"Go on," said Silan. "Remember rule one."

"They-" said King.

"Vastal," said Silan. "Take them."

Vastal grunted. In an instant, he appeared at the front of the group and pushed them forward, his massive body serving as a grey wall for the group. Everyone was moved back, each person eventually finding their own hut to walk into. Only Fubuki and Tatsumaki were together by the time Vastal pushed them towards their own hut.

"Hey!" yelled Saitama. "What did you do with Mumen, you bastard? _What did you do_?!"

"Such an idiot," muttered Vastal. "Does he not get it?"

Shaking his head, he pushed Fubuki and Tatsumaki into their hut and slammed the door behind them. The afternoon light illuminated the room as Fubuki stumbled forward, with Tatsumaki close behind.

Straightening herself up, Fubuki turned back to her sister.

"Why," said Fubuki. "Why them specifically."

"I asked myself the same thing," said Tatsumaki, brushing her sleeves off. "And I don't know."

"He's messing with us," said Fubuki. "I can't stand it."

"We have to get some of them on our side," said Tatsumaki. "Like…I don't know, maybe Vastal."

Fubuki stared off into the air, contemplative.

"Yeah…" she said. "He's the only one who's helped right? Though…I was worried he had killed you for a bit, sis. I was so fucking scared…"

"He dragged me out," said Tatsumaki. "Don't get me wrong, he's an asshole, they all are. But maybe…maybe I can find a way out of this. Get Secter and Sycamore back to us, and put Silan down for good."

"God I hope so," said Fubuki. Sitting down on the cold steel, she laid her head in her hands. "I hope they're ok…"

Tatsumaki sat down next to her sister, stretching one hand over her back.

"Me too," said Tatsumaki. "Oh God, I'm so worried…" She felt tears threatening to burst forth from her eyes, and she blinked as they succeeded in doing so. Remaining still with her sister, she sat in place for hours on end, the two of them quiet until the sun began to go down and the hut turned dark.


	2. Chapter 2

As the moon rose, the door was smashed open. Tatsumaki jerked back into consciousness, her sister stiffening as she felt Tatsumaki tense up against her. Turning to her side, Tatsumaki saw a dark shape enter the hut, tall and gaunt. From its body hung a bloodied white robe, and a fleshy, stretched-out mask adorned its face. It kicked the door closed as it approached, two gleaming beads for eyes staring out from behind the eyeholes on its mask.

"What the-" began Tatsumaki.

"You," said the mask-Soulless, one hand clutched over its stomach while it reached out towards her with another. "Your friend shot me."

"What?" asked Tatsumaki. Her eyes widened as the Soulless drew near, its hand clutching a clump of yellow bandages over its torso.

"Kill you," said the Soulless. "Hurt you."

Tatsumaki stood up, her body shaking with terror. Fubuki stood up in unison.

"Sis, get behind me," said Fubuki.

"No," whispered Tatsumaki. "I won't."

The Soulless approached Tatsumaki, its head scraping the ceiling as it looked down on her.

"Took me days," it said. "To recover. Will take you. Much longer. Never."

Tatsumaki's eyes watered at the sight of the creature above her, but she stood tall.

"Leave us alone," said Tatsumaki. "Just leave us alone…"

The mask-Soulless shifted its head forward, gazing upon Fubuki.

"A nice face," said the mask-Soulless. "Will remind you."

"No," said Tatsumaki. "It's me who you want! Not her! She's not who you want, you want me-"

"I know who she is," said the mask-Soulless. He slammed his arm against Tatsumaki's torso, sending her collapsing into the side of the hut. Tatsumaki's ribcage made a sickening crunching noise as she slammed against the metal, her head spinning as she recoiled away from the impact. Groaning, Tatsumaki stumbled forward as the mask-Soulless snatched her sister by the neck.

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "Don't!" She grabbed the mask-Soulless around his waist, trying to pull him off of her sister. "Let her go!"

"Get off," said the mask-Soulless. "Watch her pain." He whipped around and punched Tatsumaki in the gut, his fist barreling into her and sending her stumbling back into the wall. Tatsumaki's stomach almost caved in at the impact, her cheeks puffing up as she felt a wave of vomit enter her mouth. She looked up at the attacker and for a moment, it almost looked as if he was wearing a mask of a different kind, cracked and dripping with strange bile…

Tatsumaki shook her head and the Soulless's fleshy visage returned. She couldn't let a Soulless ruin another family.

The mask-Soulless turned back to Fubuki and withdrew a gleaming knife from his pocket. Chuckling, he pushed Fubuki back to the edge of the hut as she slammed her fists into his chest. The mask-Soulless plunged the knife into Fubuki's leg and tore it downwards, ripping a large gash through her skin. Fubuki screamed.

"Stop!" yelled Tatsumaki. She leapt on the Soulless's back as he withdrew his knife and slid it across Fubuki's face, leaving a scarlet cut along her cheek as her skin parted. Clinging to the Soulless's back, Tatsumaki tore her bloodied nails into the Soulless's shoulders, grunting as her nails found no hold. It was as if she were trying to tear a paperclip through solid steel, and the mask-Soulless turned around and wrapped his hands around Tatsumaki's neck, his grip like that of a metal vice as he walked forward.

"Sis!" yelled Fubuki.

The mask-Soulless squeezed tighter and tighter, Tatsumaki's windpipe becoming strained and enclosed by the iron grip. She gasped and sputtered as she tried to take in the air around her, her face turning from red to purple as the mask-Soulless crushed the life out of her.

"Stop!" yelled Fubuki. "Leave her alone! _Leave her alone_!" She struggled to get to her feet, her leg stinging as she leveled herself against the wall. Blood poured from the gash in her leg, stretching all the way from the top of her waist down to her ankle. Gasping, Fubuki managed to bring herself to her feet as the mask-Soulless found his way near the door.

Tatsumaki's face had turned the color of an eggplant, her breaths becoming sharp and quick as she desperately gasped at the air around her. Slowly her vision became dark as the mask-Soulless squeezed.

"Agh," groaned Tatsumaki. "Stop…help…help..."

It was over. She was doomed.

Fubuki limped over as fast as she could, bashing on the mask-Soulless's back as hard as her fists would allow and screaming all the same. Her fingers snapped as they broke along the Soulless's back, and he chuckled at the impact. Letting Tatsumaki fall to the ground, the mask-Soulless turned back around to Fubuki, who winced at his gaze.

"I'm going to hurt you like no other," said the mask-Soulless. "I'll really enjoy this."

He ripped his knife forward, plunging it into Fubuki's stomach below her ribcage. Grinning under his mask, he slowly tore the knife downwards, chuckling as he heard skin and bones alike tear away from his moving blade. Fubuki grasped his arms, her eyes turning wide and pale as he moved.

"Ah," said Fubuki. Her voice was barely audible.

Tatsumaki struggled to catch her breath, her brain wracked with terror as she listened to her sister approach death's door.

"Stop," groaned Fubuki. "Stop."

The Soulless kept dragging the blade through her, tearing it all the way down to Fubuki's waist. She let out a yelp as she stumbled back, but the mask-Soulless clutched her by the spine, preventing her from getting away. Ripping his knife out from her body, the mask-Soulless laughed again as he witnessed an arc of blood spray forth from Fubuki.

"Your whole body," said the mask-Soulless. "Every piece of your skin. Will be mine. Will be mine."

"Fuck…off," said Tatsumaki. Her body felt as if it were about to collapse in on itself, but she stood all the same. Every breath came out twisted and sharp, as if the air around her were made of molasses. "Fuck off!"

At her last words, the door to the hut opened again, and Viskel smashed his way through, anger flaring in his eyes.

"What the fuck is going on!" he shouted. "We're trying to get some slee-" He paused when he saw the mask-Soulless, who proceeded to punch Fubuki in the face despite Viskel's sudden entrance. Viskel raised an eyeline as he looked over at a bloodied Fubuki and a desperate Tatsumaki.

The mask-Soulless grinned before slamming his fist into Fubuki's stomach.

A spray of blood and phlegm rushed from Fubuki's mouth from the impact and she turned limp. She looked near dead, a ghastly pallor over her expression and her body curled over.

Viskel blinked. He wasn't sure if he liked what he saw, with neither Fubuki or Tatsumaki able to fight back. Nonetheless, he pushed the thought out of his mind, remembering that surely, this had to play into Silan's plan somehow.

"Busy," said the mask-Soulless. "Leave."

"Just be quieter," snarled Viskel. "Trying to sleep. And don't kill her, Silan will be pissed if you do it without his say."

"I won't," said the mask-Soulless. "I _promise._"

"Make him stop…" said Fubuki, her mouth swimming with blood and turning her words into gurgled noises. "Please, help."

A voice echoed from behind Viskel, making him jump.

"Time to sleep, everyone," said Silan from the courtyard. "That means everyone…"

The mask-Soulless sighed. Dropping Fubuki to the ground, he turned around and kicked Tatsumaki in the face, his clawed feet tearing away at one of Tatsumaki's eyelids. Tatsumaki gasped as she fell back, clutching at the eye which went dark for a moment.

"Alright let's go," grumbled Viskel. "Gotta sleep, tired."

"Fine," said the mask-Soulless. "But I'll be back."

Viskel and the mask-Soulless left the hut, slamming the door behind them. Their footsteps grew distant as Tatsumaki crawled over to her sister.

"Sis!" said Tatsumaki, one hand pressing against Fubuki's bleeding leg. "Sis, talk to me!"

"Hurts…" said Fubuki. "Hurts…"

"Sis…" said Tatsumaki. "Don't go…I need you here, you're all I have…"

She pressed one of her hands to Fubuki's stomach wound while pushing the other onto her leg. Warm blood gushed between her fingers and Tatsumaki choked up as she failed to staunch the grisly flow. Grimacing, Tatsumaki tore off a shred of her dress with her teeth, ripping the black fabric away from her shoulder. She wrapped the makeshift bandage around her wheezing sister's leg as Fubuki's eyes grew heavy. Tatsumaki prayed in silence, her mind focused on nothing else but stopping the bleeding. She couldn't let her sister die, she couldn't!

"It's going to be ok sis," said Tatsumaki. "I've got this, I've helped Secter before, it's going to be ok…"

A thought pierced her mind: _When the time comes, don't go expecting someone to come save you._

Tatsumaki groaned pitifully as she wrapped her sister's wounds in the dark.

. . .

Secter winced as he lurched over to the raging white fire of the burner, the arm of a stranger hanging over his shoulder. With a massive heave, Secter shoved the limp body over his back into the flames. Within seconds, a horrid stench rushed out from the gaping maw of the burner. Secter coughed, stumbling away from the burning corpse. Then he stiffened as he heard someone approach him from behind and turned to see Koros with three bodies slung over his back.

"Well there you are," said Koros, oddly nonchalant despite the grim atmosphere. "Been meaning to talk to you."

Secter watched with pallid eyes as Koros tossed his weights into the burner, limping as he moved. Grumbling, Koros walked away from the flames and leaned against a nearby pile, obstructing him from view of the other end of the room. Secter took a step forward behind the pile as well.

"You and your pal," said Koros. "Been lookin dead even before you got here. Where did you two come from?"

Secter glanced over at Koros, his shoulders hunched and his breathing heavier than the smell around him.

"Come from?" asked Secter. He gave a nervous look back over towards the other end of the room as the laughter from several guards echoed from a distance.

Koros waved him away.

"Ah, don't worry about them," said Koros. "Bastards aren't paying attention, they don't really care about the task. All they care about is a roof over their heads and having a little bit of power over people."

"We need to get the hell out of here," said Secter. "Find a way to beat them."

"They've got guns," said Koros. "And in case you hadn't noticed, are more than willing to use them. Case in point." He pointed to the hole in his leg, dried yellow stains surrounding it even as it continued to leak blood.

Secter blinked at the wound, rubbing at his shoulder where it had caved a little from the attack not long ago. Already the bones were reforming back into place, slowly melding themselves back with the others but causing an exhausting amount of pain as they did so.

"But as I was saying," said Koros. "I assume you two were in the war?"

"I was, Sycamore too," said Secter. "Then I got out. Sycamore wasn't so lucky."

"Yeah, he looks like a damned zombie over there," said Koros. "Got no life in his eyes, he must hate this place like no other."

"Can you blame him?" asked Secter.

"Yeah, yeah," said Koros. "But you two seem decent, hope you stick around with me. Been a while since I ran with a good group."

Secter raised an eyebrow.

"Well it's not like we're going anywhere," said Secter.

"I meant you have to _survive_," said Koros. "You're going to have to follow my lead if you want to do that."

"Your first plan already fell through."

"Yeah well, that was fuckin Silan's fault," said Koros. "But…we'll figure something else out, provided neither of you do anything stupid."

"For now, I'm just keeping my head down," said Secter. "Not like I have the energy to do much else."

"Yeah, get some damned sleep when they let us out of here," said Koros. "If they let us out of here."

"I'll try. Been thinking about a lot of things."

"Yeah? People back at home?"

"Yeah. Tatsu, and Fubuki, and everyone else."

"Tatsu's your lover?"

"She is, she's everything to me."

Koros shook his head.

"Alright," he said. "I won't tell you to forget her this time, but you should really start thinking about life in case she's go-"

"_No_," said Secter, his eyes narrowing. Hate poured from his vision and he straightened up to full height despite every muscle in his body straining from the effort. "I'll do anything to get the fuck out of here and get back to her. Anything."

"Well I can appreciate your spirit," said Koros. "Even still, you might want to keep that defiance down a notch, these people could kill you without so much as a second glance. I like that you want to fight though, been itching to do so myself. But now's just not the time…"

"Guys," said Sycamore, appearing from a pile of bodies near the burner. "I found something." He looked shriveled, despite his stay in the Nothing having been so short, it was as if he had been rotting there for years along with the bodies.

"Hope it's a damned gun," said Koros. "I spend any more time shoveling corpses I might just have to strangle one of those fuckers."

"So much for keeping a low profile," muttered Secter. "Can't even keep your own advice?"

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "Can't help it. My advice still stands, it's just hard for me to follow. Get pissed easy."

"And yet somehow you've lived this long…" said Secter.

"Sometimes I surprise even myself," said Koros. "But get to it Sycamore, what is it."

"Follow me," said Sycamore.

Koros grunted as he lifted himself away from the pile, and Secter sagged his arms back down as he followed Sycamore over to a darkened section of wall across from the burner. Shadows played along the wall as the burner roared in the distance.

"Here," said Sycamore. Pointing to a body stretched out against the side of the wall, Sycamore grabbed the corpse and pulled it away. A thin ray of white light shone out from where the body uncovered the metal, several cracks snaking their way against the steel.

Koros's jaw hung low with shock as he spotted the web of cracks. Raising one hand to his mouth, he rubbed at his chin as he examined the damaged section of wall. Secter stood just as surprised.

"Found it while I was moving people," said Sycamore. He looked over at his companions with a glimmer of hope in his otherwise lifeless eyes. "What do you think?"

"This…" said Koros. "This is fuckin progress."

"Sycamore…" said Secter, taking a step towards the wall. "You…might've just saved us."

"Well, what can I say," said Sycamore, coughing as he stood up tall. "I do hero work in my spare time."

Secter wrapped his arms around Sycamore and hoisted him up as Koros peered back over at the guards at the end of the room. Swinging Sycamore to the side, Sycamore chuckled as Secter hugged him.

"Alright, alright," said Sycamore. "Cut it out. Hurts a bit."

"Sorry," said Secter, setting Sycamore down. Secter couldn't help but beam a little.

"Hmm," said Koros. Leaning down, he poked at the wall. Sticking his fingers through to the area outside, he nodded. "Yep, they left some structural damage, the lazy fucks. With time, we could find a way to break through this and crawl right on out. Just sidle right along the side of the outpost, don't you dare touch the Nothing or you'll lose a limb or more."

"How would we break the wall?" asked Secter.

"That's the thing," said Koros. "We've got no tools. Granted, the guards said they might have shovels somewhere, but if that doesn't end up working, we might have to try something more drastic…"

"You mean like fighting them?" asked Sycamore. "Secter and I can barely stand, plus it's four of them with guns. We'd have no chance."

"All depends…" said Koros. "You'd be surprised how many of those guards will give in once they think their odds aren't good. We might just have to watch em and see…"

"So," said Secter. "We act like everything is normal. Then day by day, we pick this wall apart until we climb out. Then…sneak away, watch out for tower guards."

"Ain't no fence around the whole place," said Koros. "Just the Nothing. So we'd probably have to circle around to the front or back unfortunately, then make a goddamned run for it. It's not perfect, but it's all we got."

"We'll give it a shot," said Secter. "We're getting out."

"Then…then what?" asked Sycamore. "Where do we go from there?"

"Leave that to when we get there," said Koros. "For now, we stick to the plan."

A round of laughter burst from the other side of the room, making Koros jolt in place. The three of them scattered in silence, going back to lifting bodies from the various piles in the room. Many of the bodies were already starting to fade from existence, their shadowy forms turning transparent against the others.

"Hey!" came a voice from the end of the room. "The three of you!"

Koros looked up from his work, as did Secter. Sycamore groaned as he halted in place, a sad and pathetic sound.

"Get over here!" yelled the voice. It was the chief.

The trio made their way back over to the guards, stepping over outstretched arms and legs jutting out from the piles. Secter felt like puking as he moved, the stench constantly burning his nostrils and filling his head with a noxious fume. The chief smirked at the three of them as they limped their way over to him and his guards.

"Well well, look what we have here…" said the chief. He turned to Koros. "A monster." Then to Secter. "A failure." Finally to Sycamore. "And a dead man. Though, I suppose these could be interchangeable."

Secter's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" asked Secter.

The chief laughed at him.

"Oh I can tell," said the chief. "That guy, the one who's in here for attacking us?" He jerked a finger at Koros. "That man's a real bloody monster, killed countless. And you?" He glared at Secter. "You sure failed to protect your little friends, now didn't you? And suit bastard?" The chief didn't even bother to look at Sycamore. "I can tell, you were born to die, your story here has ended before it even began. I can see it in your eyes you've already given up."

"You call us over for something important?" said Koros. "Or just to stand there and insult us?"

"You'd be wise to keep your fucking mouth shut," said the chief. "And I'm sending you back for now, but after that comment, I expect you'll be back on corpse duty within a few hours anyways."

Koros muttered to himself, glancing down at the ground.

"Send em all back up," said the chief. "Tired of looking at these wastes of space."

One of the guards nodded and motioned at the trio to follow along.

"Back to their old cell?" asked one of the guards.

"Don't care," said the chief. "Might as well so you don't forget where they are. And until we can figure out the space situation."

The guard led the trio to the center of the armed group, and eventually Secter and his companions were brought back to their cell. Snarling, one of the guards shoved Secter inside just as Koros and Sycamore received the same treatment. The trio stumbled forward, with Koros nearly tripping over his wounded leg. Behind them, the bars snapped upwards and the energy between them hummed to life while the guards departed.

Secter sighed and sat back down, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Koros sat across from him, while Sycamore sat closest to the tiny window, his gaze affixed on the light above.

_We've got a shot, _thought Secter. _Just got to get my head back in the game, can't fall to misery just yet, have to keep going, do it for Tatsu…_

"Well," said Koros, stretching out against the wall. "Least we got something."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Ugh, but honestly. How are those guards not sick of all this yet? All this death and violence and pain, constantly! God knows I am…" His voice trailed off into despair.

"Tell me about it," said Koros. "You'd think after the war, constant fighting and shit, everyone'd be done with all this, but apparently not. Honestly surprised I'm still going, guess the healing factors into that."

"Yeah, it doesn't really help, does it?" asked Secter, one hand on his chin. "Allows us to take more pain than most others, then recover quicker…"

"Then you get sent right back out to fight," said Koros. "Just like in the war." Sighing, he banged his head back on the wall behind him, grunting as he did so. "Maybe we were just made for pain, maybe this is just what life is for us."

"I don't believe that," said Secter. "We can get past this."

"We all liked to think that, yet here we are," said Koros. "That's just how it is."

Sycamore shifted, uncomfortable in his position. He grabbed at the clump of bandages attached to his stomach and started pulling them off one by one. Every slice of gauze made a sickening slimy noise at it was pulled off of his body, and Sycamore grimaced as he set several of the bloodied bandages aside. Koros raised an eyebrow at him as he did so.

"You both still look like wrecks, no offense," said Koros. "Especially you, Sycamore."

"Thanks," muttered Sycamore. "I feel less than great."

"Not feeling the best either," said Secter. "I never, ever wanted to go back here, and Tatsu…is stuck with a fucking psychopath back there. I…have no idea what he's doing with her."

Koros opened his mouth to speak, but shut it seconds later.

Secter rubbed at his eyes, tears threatening to break through. Shutting them tight, he rocketed to his feet, wincing at the pain echoing throughout his body.

"But I haven't given up," said Secter. Turning over to Sycamore with blurred vision, Secter pointed at him. "Sycamore, you've found us a way out. We don't need to get used to this, we'll find a way back. There's still hope."

"Wishful thinking, but I like it," said Koros. "Got no intention of staying in this hellhole."

"I don't know…" said Sycamore. "I just don't know…" He stared back down at the ground. "I also thought I was past this, why would anyone want to bring us back here, why…"

"Because these people are fucking losers," said Koros. "They've turned their inner hatred to outer hatred, because they don't know what else to do. Slimy bastards the lot of em."

"And we have something to fight for," said Secter. "Remember what you told me? We have something to fight for, while they have nothing."

Sycamore gave a small nod.

"I guess so," said Sycamore. "Sorry, just…out of it. Hate this place so much."

"We'll get out," said Secter, clasping his hands to his sides. "I've got faith."

"And I've got faith in the idea that you should fuckin sleep," said Koros. "I know you two have a lot going on through your heads, but sleep will help you from going crazy. Take it from me."

Secter slumped back down against the wall, letting out a sharp gasp as his back scraped along the metal.

"I can try," he breathed. "Got to try."

Secter sat in silence for a few moments, occasionally giving Sycamore a quick glance. After a while he closed his eyes, and fell into a light slumber, his mind plagued with flashing images of a bleeding esper on the ground.

. . .

_She's not dead, _thought Secter. _She isn't. The quicker I do this, the quicker I can get back to her. That's all that matters. _

He tossed another body into the burner, the flames roaring as it tumbled deep within the metal beast. Koros huffed as he tossed another couple into the fire.

_Just have to keep myself alive, _thought Secter. _Keep going._

He walked back over to the pile and pulled out another body, tearing it away from the rest. Then he threw it into the fire. The cycle repeated.

"Still no damned shovels," mumbled Koros. "Asked those bastards for one and they asked me if I wanted to turn my other leg into a birdhouse…fucking assholes."

"I wouldn't expect one from them," said Secter. "We might just have to use our damned hands if nothing else."

"Fuck it, I'm game," said Koros. "Didn't plan to stay more than a week here anyways."

Secter glanced around after tossing another body into the burner.

"Where's Sycamore?" he asked.

"Probably by the cracks," said Koros. "I don't know, go check."

Secter sighed as he wandered away from the burner and back over to the damaged section of the wall. Sure enough, Sycamore was there, gazing down at the streaks of light.

"Been tearing at it a little bit," said Sycamore. "But that metal won't budge…"

"Well yeah," said Secter. "Soulless construction, won't move so easily."

"Secter," said Sycamore peering back up at him. "I don't think I have to tell you how badly I want to get out of here."

"You don't," said Secter. "I do too."

"I think…" said Sycamore, rubbing his chin. "The first thing I'll do when I get back is give Fubuki the biggest hug I can, then I'll be begging for forgiveness from everyone..."

"Trust me, if you stick with us, they'll have to forgive you. And… first we still have Silan to deal with."

"Right…" said Sycamore. Burying his face in his hands, Sycamore sniffled aloud. "Oh, this is all useless isn't it? We're going to die in here!"

"Sycamore," said Secter, reaching over to place a hand over Sycamore's shoulder. "Listen to me. We're going to be alright. We just have to keep our heads down, and keep working, we'll find our way back-"

Koros approached the two of them, a shard of metal in his hand.

"Broke it off from the burner," said Koros. "Move."

Secter's eyes widened and he stepped aside to allow Koros to move through. Sycamore gasped when Koros smashed the metal into one of the cracks and began twisting and tweaking the shard upwards.

"Go back to what you're doing," said Koros. "Gonna take a while."

"That…that's gonna work?" asked Sycamore.

"Yep," said Koros. "Or at least it will, if you give me some damned cover."

"Ah…right, right," said Sycamore.

"Alright, let's get back to it," said Secter. "Come on, Sycamore."

The two of them headed away from Koros, each one to their respective piles. Though the stench was overwhelming and the bodies heavy, Secter managed a smile as he lifted his next weight and dragged it away from the pile.

. . .

Time marched on as Secter worked, everything blurring into one long, stinking, exhausting task. The only thing bringing him any semblance of joy was the sound of Koros tinkering away at the wall, only stopping ever so often when a guard got bored enough to go check on the workers. On one occasion the guards taunted Sycamore for his outfit, and tried to rip it off of him. Rushing forward to intervene, Secter found himself beaten back as the guards bashed him with rifle butts and glowing clubs. Shouting, Sycamore tore off the remnants of his suit and tossed it to the ground, prompting laughter from the guards as they threw the garment in the burner and returned to their side of the room. Sycamore walked over and helped a bloodied Secter up as he limped back along to the burner.

"You can't always be doing that here Secter," said Sycamore. "You're going to get yourself hurt."

"Too late for that," said Secter. "But if I don't stand up, who will?"

Sycamore had no answer to the question.

Secter continued his thankless shift of moving bodies and tossing them into the burner, each one holding a frozen face for him to soon forget. He frowned at the layers of corpses, wondering where each person had come from, why they were here, and if they had a name. The corpses would hold no answers for him as he dragged them over to the fire to lay them to eternal rest.

A clunking sound erupted from the other side of a ceiling-high pile Secter was working on, and he froze in place. Blood still ran down from the side of his head from earlier and he walked around the pile to see Koros standing triumphantly over a small hole in the wall while Sycamore stood off to the side in awe.

"And there it is boys," said Koros. "Just wide enough for us to get through."

"We…we're out," said Sycamore. He clapped his hands together, a big smile tearing through his face. "We're out!"

"Keep it down asshole," said Koros. "And Sycamore, you go first since you're the slimmest. Might have to do some work if I don't fit…and remember, no powers! You try to make yourself thinner or something, the guards'll know and will be on us in a second."

"Go Sycamore," said Secter, his sprits rising at the white gap of freedom which lay before him. "Hurry."

Sycamore nodded and dashed towards the gap, snaking and grunting as he wiggled his way through. Koros kept a lookout, peering out from one of the piles and scanning the room for the guards.

"Almost…through," said Sycamore, his voice muffled from the other side of the wall. He was halfway there, his legs scrambling like snakes caught in the talons of a hawk. "Not…a lot…of ground to stand on out here…"

"Keep going," said Secter. "See anything out there?"

"Nothing but white," said Sycamore. "Wait…almost…"

Sycamore kicked forward, squirming as he did so. Within a few seconds, only his legs jutted out from the gap as he struggled his way outside.

"Where's that suit-boy?" came a voice from the end of the room. "I wanna talk to him."

"Shit," muttered Koros. "Sycamore, get the hell out! Secter, you next!"

Secter turned down over to the gap in a panic, just in time to witness Sycamore's feet disappear from the gap. He kneeled down to go next, and just as he started to push himself through the jagged edges of the hole, he heard a commotion next to him.

"They're getting out!" yelled a voice. "Over here, they're-"

Secter heard a grunting sound. In the near distance, someone started hacking as if their lungs were collapsing.

"Go you idiot!" yelled Koros. "Go-"

Something stabbed its way through Secter's leg, pinning his ankle to the ground. Sharp pain raged forth from his leg all the way up to his heart. He gasped as he clawed his way forth, little but a white void and a small patch of ground before him. Snarling, Secter ripped his arm through the hole just as several hands snatched him around his waist. His eyes growing wide, Secter realized that the Nothing was getting further away even as he tried to pull himself forward, further and further until…

He was yanked back. The stench rushed into his nostrils again.

Secter blinked, unsure of what happened for a second. A glowing club came smashing down onto his face, eviscerating his right cheek and tearing it open. Groaning, Secter was lifted to his feet as he was dragged along with a bloodied Koros all the way back through the burner room, up the stairs, through the hallway, and back to his cell. Secter fell to the ground as he was shoved through along with Koros, the both of them having their worlds spin as the guards yelled at them.

"Bloody bastards!" said one of the guards. "Think you can escape! We'll kill you both if you try anything like that again!"

"Report it," said another. "Chief'll kill em for sure."

"Yeah, let's go," said the guard. "Fuckin hell, gonna have to report _another _escapee."

"Ugh," said the first guard. "Let's go."

They left Koros and Secter alone in their cell, the bars humming with energy. Secter rose from his place on the ground, his head still spinning. Stumbling over to the excuse for a window, Secter peered outside, the white light still beckoning just as it had before. Koros walked up next to him, red pouring out from his mouth.

"Too slow," muttered Koros. "Now we're both gonna die."

"No," said Secter. "No…"

Pain flared up from Secter's leg, his abdomen, his chest and shoulder. Everywhere hurt, and yet Secter could find no solace even as he sat down. Every movement was hell, every second was torture. He had almost been out, but not quite.

"Hang on…" said Koros, his eyes narrowing as he stared out the window. "Sycamore? Sycamore! Hey! Get over here!"

"What?" asked Secter. "He circled around?"

Secter got up and limped over to the window, his body a tortured mass of pain and torn skin. He smeared blood across his face as he spotted a panicked and hyperventilating Soulless standing not far from their window, his eyes wide as he darted his head in every which direction.

"Sycamore!" said Koros. "Listen to me!"

Sycamore gave Koros a panicked glance. His entire body shook as they met eyes.

"Get back to the wall, and-" said Koros.

Sycamore twitched, and turned around. He sprinted away from the window, running as fast as he could. Within seconds, Sycamore had vanished into the distance, spotlights shining down from the towers of the outpost as his form faded against the void.

"You…" muttered Koros. "You sick bastard…"

"He ran…" said Secter. "He's gone."

Koros stumbled back from the window, his expression grave. Slumping against the wall, he spat out a hunk of blood onto the floor.

Secter followed suit, slowly sliding against the wall as it tore against his backside. His eyes remained grey and still within his face, almost as if he had just witnessed the death of another loved one.

"Well, he's gone," said Koros. "Can't say I blame the bastard, but even still, fucking betraying us like that-"

"He was getting spotted," said Secter. "You aren't giving him enough credit."

"He's _gone_ you idiot," said Koros. "We're going to die in here, and he's _gone. _Honestly, he's probably gonna die too."

"He'll find a way back," said Secter. "He'll help."

"Yeah fuckin right. He wanted to get the hell out no matter what the first day he came here. That fucker would do anything to get out, just like everyone else…"

"He's not the same. He'll be back."

"You're naïve, Secter. He's not coming back."

"You…" said Secter, his fists clenching. "You don't know him like I do! Have some damned faith for once!"

"I'm a realist, I know what's happening," said Koros. "Figure it out Secter, we're dead now."

"He'll be back."

"No. No he won't."

. . .

The schedule went on as usual, Koros remarking how strange it was for them to go back to work with little in the way of consequences. Secter and him went back to shoveling bodies only hours after Sycamore's disappearance, nothing different except the hole in the wall fixed, and a guard for each them as they lifted away.

Secter sighed as he dragged the next body away, an armed guard glaring down at him as he did so.

"Any second," said the guard. "I could end you. Just like that." He snapped his fingers, Secter's life in his hands. "Bet the chief's already got an execution date in mind for you two, he was none too pleased to hear about your friend…"

Secter kept going, his mind numb. At the sound of shuffling, he whipped around, a body still hung over his back.

To his side was a newcomer, a Soulless with a melting frown. He too had a body slumped over his back, shuffling along as if he shared the same feelings as the corpse above him.

"You…" said Secter. "You're new. Your name?"

The Soulless ignored him, tossing the body into the burner. Secter watched as he did so, yet eventually he continued his work. Time marched on.

The sessions went by, no real way to know if days were going by or hours. Secter was stuck in a giant cavern of corpses, no moon or sun outside and no solace to be found anywhere. Eventually Secter lost track of time, the number of bodies never seeming to shrink no matter how much work him, Koros, and the newcomer did. One day, the guard who watched him went to join his companions, and Secter turned to the newcomer as he watched the newest body burn.

"So," said Secter. "You don't talk much."

"Don't like to," said the newcomer. "Didn't want to be here."

"Me neither," said Secter. "But that doesn't mean we should lose hope."

The newcomer gave Secter a strange look.

"You must be new here," said the newcomer. "You talk like an idiot. You'll probably die soon."

"I made it this far," said Secter. "And I'm not going to stop."

"Sorry," said the newcomer. "Didn't mean it like that. Just…most people I knew who talked like that are probably in these piles…"

Secter grimaced, sweat adorning his forehead as he struggled forward with another corpse.

"So…" said Secter. "You never told me your name."

"Why do you want to know?"

"I…just do, ok? What harm is there in knowing?"

The newcomer gave Secter a sad glance, the look of a being with too many years under his belt.

"Not many ask me that…" he said. "Varo, my name is Varo."

"Varo," said Secter. "Nice name. Where are you from?"

"Here."

"I meant before here."

"Oh. Uh, was in the war, but before that, in Dreskur's brigades…"

"Wow," said Secter. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Was more of a Vrayskr man myself."

"Yeah…" said Varo. "Was a long time ago." He went back to shoveling corpses, sniffling as his hands dug into the fresh stinking hell below him.

"Well…" said Secter. "Things might not look good now, but surely we can-"

Varo paused, staring down into a pile of corpses. He scrunched his face up, pain enveloping his features. Every crevice, every wrinkle on his expression was an abyss of memories, all deepened with sadness.

"You ok?" asked Secter. "What is it?"

The newcomer said nothing, his eyes trained down below. Slowly he reached into the pile and pulled out a single body, grunting as he heaved it away from the rest. The foot of the corpse stuck itself within the rest of the pile, forcing Varo to tug it away before stumbling to his knees. Sniffling, Varo lifted the corpse, and with a great heave, tossed it into the burner.

"I'm sorry…" said Varo. "I'm so sorry…"

"Was he…" said Secter.

"Why did it have to be like this?" asked Varo. "I just…I just want to die, I'm tired of this, I just want to die…"

He collapsed to his knees in front of the burner, yellow fire outlining his already burning form. Secter walked over to him, his arms hanging heavy. Resting a hand on Varo's back, he stared into the flames as Varo stared at the ground.

_It can't be like this, _Secter thought. _We…I can't be like this. I have to leave, I have to get out. I have to get back to Tatsu. I can't go back to how it was. Not ever._

_. . . _

Blood was caked on Tatsumaki's hands as she ran them down the side of the door, giving it one last little bash before slumping to her knees. The sun shone through the slits in the side of the hut, and several red marks adorned the door which Tatsumaki stared at. Her cheeks crusty with the remnants of tears, Tatsumaki turned to look back over at her sister and gave a pathetic groan at what she saw.

Fubuki lay flat on her back in the remnants of the sun shining through, the light illuminating her pale face as sweat poured down from her forehead. Her hair was glued over her face in sticky black streaks, and her hands, one normal and the other adorned with fingers bent at ninety-degree angles towards the tips, remained clamped over a clump of black fabric over her stomach, bloodied and sliding off onto the ground. Dark stains of scarlet covered most of Fubuki's face and her breathing was rattled and harsh.

Tatsumaki blinked away, glad that her vision had returned to her eye over the night but feeling sick at the sight of her sister bleeding before her. Groaning, she lifted herself back up, rubbing one hand over the missing slice of fabric over her shoulder before moving her hand down to her aching ribcage. She slammed on the door once again, turning her hand into a painful pincushion as her palm met metal.

"Let us out!" said Tatsumaki, her voice as dry as the desert sand. "My sister needs help, she's dying!"

The only response was a stuttered cough by Fubuki, who gasped as her body enveloped itself in pain in response. She reached her good hand down to her leg, which still leaked blood out from a tight wrapping of black fabric. Her skin had turned purple around the makeshift bandage, and a thick yellow ooze had encrusted itself around the edge of the fabric on her leg.

"Sis…" said Fubuki, her voice little but a whisper. "Sis…"

Tatsumaki turned around and shuffled over to her sister, clamping one hand around her torso as she did so. Her entire chest was stiff with pain, every movement sending a tremor through her body. Sinking to her knees, Tatsumaki reached down and wiped the hair away from Fubuki's face, her eyes turning wet as she turned her attention to smearing the blood off of her sister's cheeks.

"You're gonna be ok," said Tatsumaki. "Just take a deep breath, you're gonna be ok…"

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "I can barely hear you…"

Tatsumaki wiped at her eyes, tracing a reddened scar along the left.

"I'll get you out," said Tatsumaki. "You just have to stay with me, stay with me sis…"

"I feel cold," said Fubuki. "It's so cold…"

Tatsumaki's shoulders tensed. Her whole world was crumbling. A layer of heavy bricks felt like it had been smashed on her back, building and building into a great mountain. Tatsumaki couldn't stand the strain, the constant rising of pressure along her body, she fell to her hands and knees and stared at the floor in despair. It was too much, it was too much…

"Stay…stay with me," said Tatsumaki. She slid her hand across the floor, the sun illuminating her pale fingers from up above. Finding her sister's hand, she grimaced at how cold it was. "You have to keep…just keep…"

The door opened behind Tatsumaki, prompting her to turn around. In the entrance stood Silan, grinning as usual and with a spark of glee flashing in his eyes.

"It seems there was an incident," said Silan. "Do you know why this was, Tatsumaki?"

Tatsumaki let go of her sister's hand and rose to her feet. Every muscle, every tendon in her face was strained and frozen, her eyes wide as she stared at Silan.

"My sister," said Tatsumaki. "She needs help. She's going to die in here, you have to help her-"

"When you tell me why what happened happened," said Silan. "Then your sister will receive the attention she needs."

"I don't know why it fucking happened!" said Tatsumaki. "That monster just came in here and started attacking me and my sis, I don't know-"

"You are in a hut with your sister."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Were you supposed to be?" asked Silan.

A scuffling sound came from behind Silan and he stepped aside to let Viskel peer through. Viskel narrowed his eyes over at the pale woman laying on the ground.

"It…it was Vastal who allowed it!" said Tatsumaki. "We aren't…we weren't…"

"And yet you did not protest," said Silan. "You knew what I said, you should've known I was to be obeyed, and yet you let a transgression happen. Tsk tsk, Tatsumaki. That is why I pointed that dear friend to your hut."

Tatsumaki felt her eyes strain as hate began to build up behind them. She closed her hands into fists, one eye twitching as Silan chuckled.

"Well now you know," said Silan. "You should always listen, Tatsumaki, even if it is a superior telling you to do the wrong thing, my word always prevails. Now, were you in the wrong, when you decided to let Vastal have you stay in the same place as your sis? It's not fair to everyone else after all, they all sleep in their own huts. So, were you wrong?"

Tatsumaki gritted her teeth, grinding them against each other. From below, another wet and pained cough. Energy drained from Tatsumaki at the sound.

"Well?" asked Silan. "I see no action being taken unless you give me an answer."

"I…" said Tatsumaki. "Was in the wrong."

"Excellent," said Silan. "And you might not believe it now, but in time? _You will_."

He chuckled again and pointed at Fubuki. She vanished as Silan pulled his hand back.

"Where did you take her," said Tatsumaki. "Where did you take her?!"

"Citizens' infirmary," said Silan. "She will remain there for a while, right on the other end of our little society. Let her rest, won't you? She doesn't need to be disturbed right now…"

"Is she…with the other Soulless in there…" said Tatsumaki.

"Yes, yes she is," said Silan. "But have no fear Tatsumaki, no more harm will come to her. She's already on the verge of death, and I have no plans for letting her die."

"You promise," said Tatsumaki.

"I promise," said Silan. "Now come, get some food with everyone else. I'll see if I can't get you something nicer to wear. You shouldn't have to wear something so tattered in my society should you? Haha. You go outside, I will return. Come along, Viskel."

Silan turned to leave the hut with Viskel close behind. Bounding up to Silan as they strode outside, Viskel began to speak.

"So, how was that a part of the plan?" asked Viskel, his eyes wide with interest. His tone dripped with excitement as he spoke. "How is that breaking her down or whatever?"

"She is learning," said Silan. "Of course she knows that she and her sister and all her friends have their bodies at risk, but that is not enough for me. Oh no, if I want to drag her deep within the depths of where she once was, to bring her back to how she used to be and make it even worse, I must train her. Teach her that my way is the only way. Once she's used to it, she'll start to close things off…and that's when I go in for the kill. And then one day…ideally, ideally she will hurt her sister without any intervention of mine. And of course, if that doesn't work or I get bored with them? Eh, we can just end them, find new people."

"Way things were…" said Viskel. "Oh! You went inside her memories eh?"

"Oh yes, just made her more interesting to me," said Silan. "Of course, I couldn't see anything of her and that Volunteer friend of hers, memories like that were fuzzy as usual. But the things I did see…oh, the things I did see."

Silan chuckled, his voice blasting through the air in a loud guffaw.

"Oh, did you see her neck?" asked Silan. "All bruised and red…I'll bet our mask friend nearly choked her out…brings things back to such a long time ago…and her sister as a tool of fear! Yes, yes, it worked out even better than I imagined! Oh, what a great day!"

"So…" said Viskel, stroking his chin as his brows furrowed. "Used the sibling to get to the…the uh…the heart of the matter."

"Yes yes Viskel, very good," said Silan, his chuckling dying down and his voice turning flat. "Now run along."

"Alright!" said Viskel. He pounced his way back over to the dining table out in the middle of the courtyard, adorned with delicious-smelling foods whose scents wafted through the air. Genos sat strapped to the hut as usual, with Vastal leaning against the same building but a few feet away. Saitama groaned as he sniffed the air.

"Oh come on…" said Saitama. "Just let me have some damned food! I'm starving!"

"Very well," said Silan. "We've let you sit long enough. Viskel, untie Saitama and wake the rest for breakfast."

"Ok!" said Viskel.

Silan watched as Viskel bounded over to Saitama on all fours, the bald hero raising an eyebrow at Viskel as he ripped the metal bars away from Saitama and tossed them out from over the fence that surrounded the camp. Saitama narrowed his eyes as he stood up, stretching by leaning from side to side.

"Everyone!" yelled Viskel as he ran off from Saitama and over to the nearest set of huts. "Wake up, wake up right now or we'll kill you! Get out here!"

Vastal twitched at Viskel's voice, leaning away from the hut he was against. He stumbled towards the table before dropping his shoulders.

One by one the doors to the huts opened, and every other member of the camp stepped out. King gave a wary look to the Soulless before him but kept his composure as he neared the table. Metal Bat and Atomic Samurai both sneered at Viskel as they walked forward, Metal Bat's hair a nest of black scraggly strands. Blast stared at the ground as he walked. Bang looked almost as glum, but gave a small smile to Saitama as he saw him standing near the edge of the table.

"Well, at least you're up," said Bang.

"Yeah yeah," said Saitama. "Alright, resisting the urge to punch one of you assholes right now."

"Try it, and we'll restrain you to the pole for a month," said Silan. "Use any powers, and I'll punish everyone at the table. Do not push me."

Saitama glared at Silan, his eyes so full of hate that Viskel readied himself to pounce on the man should he make any sudden movements. Instead, Saitama's eyes turned to a newcomer at the table, widening as he spotted the pale and limping Tatsumaki near the food, her dress torn at her shoulder and along her side.

"You…you ok?" asked Saitama, his face creasing with worry as Tatsumaki sat down. "What…what did they do to you?"

"It's fine," said Tatsumaki. "It's not how it looks."

"What the hell did you do?!" asked Saitama to Silan, his fists crunching together in pure rage. "What did you _do_?!"

Silan only chuckled.

"You motherfucking bastard!" said Metal Bat. "You don't get to torture people like that, like they're your playthings! That's it, you're fucking dead!"

"Guys, calm down!" said Tatsumaki. "It's not what you think, it was just…that mask Soulless coming in and beating me…and my sis…"

"He's dead," said Metal Bat. "Him and all his monsters. I don't care if I don't have my bat, I'm beating him down!"

"Silan, he's insulting you!" said Viskel. "Can I do the punishment-plan thingy to him?"

"Why of course Viskel," said Silan, a smile on his face. "Being a student of my teachings, I would expect no less than a bit of practice."

"Nice!" said Viskel. Turning towards Metal Bat, Viskel's body vomited forward, a black streak against the air. Within seconds, he had reached Metal Bat and snagged the back of his neck, one hand gripping the man's throat from behind. Laughing, Viskel streamed towards the nearest hut against a struggling Metal Bat, and tossed him inside. Viskel stepped into the hut as Metal Bat slammed against the back wall as Viskel crept towards him.

Outside, Vastal let out a sigh before sidling over to the door of the hut Viskel and Metal Bat were in and slammed the door behind them. Grumbling, he withdrew his machete from his pouch and began to slide the blade across his arm, blood seeping out from where it melted through flesh and armor alike. Halfway through the cut, Vastal suddenly stopped and lifted the machete out, giving a small "hmph" to the weapon before drawing it back into its pouch.

"Eat," said Silan to the shocked heroes. "That's an order."

"Everyone, just sit down," said Tatsumaki. "There's nothing we can do, and if you try, it'll just make things worse."

The heroes exchanged worried glances all except for Blast, who sat at the table without hesitation.

_That's it Tatsumaki… _thought Silan. _Now you're getting it…_

"Excellent," said Silan. "You all know the rules. Now if you'll excuse me, there was a matter I had forgotten as of yesterday, and I would like to return to it…"

He chuckled as he swiveled his shadowy body away from the table and headed back to the main building. Disappearing as he closed the doors behind him, Silan walked over to the communications room.

Saitama and everyone but Blast and Tatsumaki still stood around the table, staring over at the hut in which Metal Bat had been taken.

"Sit," said Vastal, his expression hidden behind two dark holes in his helmet. "Or else."

"Everyone, just sit," said Tatsumaki. "Not doing it is just going to make things worse for Metal Bat and yourselves."

"We can't just sit," said Saitama. "It's just one of him versus all of us…"

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "Saitama, I know you're used to winning, but this one you just can't win. You just can't. You have to sit, even if it's just for now…"

"You all are pissing me off," said Vastal. "Sit, before I make you disappear."

"Master…" said Genos from the side of the hut. His head was pointed at the ground, enveloping his forehead in shadow. "I don't think we can win…"

"Genos…" said Saitama. "Even you?"

"You couldn't beat their leader," said Genos. "And we're outnumbered here, the leader is still around, and there are others… Best to save our strength, even if we must leave others behind…"

"No!" said Saitama. "That's not what being a hero is about."

"Sit down Saitama," said Blast. "You're going to get someone killed."

"And that isn't what a hero is about either," said Bang. He sat at the table, his eyes distant. "We can't beat people like them, not like this."

Atomic Samurai shook his head in disgust.

"What the hell's the point," he sneered. "These people have ruined everything as is."

He sat.

"I'm sorry Saitama," said King. "But you know I'd be no help…I'd like to help, but I just…I can't…"

He sat.

"No…" said Saitama. "This isn't how it's supposed to be…"

He reared back, his eyes wide. Vastal stood resolute, waiting for him.

"Saitama, don't!" yelled Tatsumaki. "He'll kill you! He'll kill more of us if you try!"

Saitama glared at Vastal, his fist raised back ready to strike.

"You have to know when to fight and when to run," said Tatsumaki. "For the sake of everyone. Now's the time to run, Saitama, you can't win this one by fighting. We're in a different world now, it won't make sense at first, but you have to try to make sense of it. For us. For Metal Bat in there. If you sit, I think he'll turn out ok. You just have to do it. To stay down."

"I don't want to," said Saitama. "But…if it means…"

"I didn't want to either," said Tatsumaki. "But we have to, if just for now. We'll find another way Saitama. I promise."

Saitama's eyes grew watery at Tatsumaki's words. She was right, nothing did make sense anymore. Turning to the table, he squinted at the heroes before him with teary fury in his eyes. He sat.

"Finally," muttered Vastal. "A good lesson to learn."

Saitama watched Blast as he began to devour his food. Saitama didn't eat a morsel on his plate even as his stomach roared.


	3. Chapter 3

Inside the hut, Metal Bat rubbed at his head as he sat up from being tossed across the room. He winced when he found a warm gash along the backside of his scalp, groaning as he fit several of the tips of his fingers through. Standing up, he turned to glare at the approaching Viskel, whose body filled half the hut as he walked. Rage filled his body and Metal Bat grit his teeth as he raised his fists to fight.

_Siblings… _thought Viskel. _Let's take a look in your brain here eh? _He picked through Metal Bat's memories, images flashing in Viskel's mind like a series of glowing computer screens. One of them had Metal Bat being talked down to by a little girl only moments after an exhausting fight._ Oh…oh…perfect!_

Zenko appeared to the side of Metal Bat, glancing around in a sundress as she realized she wasn't at home anymore.

"Z-Zenko?" asked Metal Bat, his eyes widening as he looked down at her. "What the…what are you doing here?!"

"Where am I?" asked Zenko. "I was at home for a second, and then…oh hey big brother!"

Metal Bat blinked down at her. His mind raced with confusion and fear. Sweat and blood poured from his head on opposite sides.

"Zenko…" said Metal Bat. "Zenko, you need to get the hell out of here!"

Zenko peered around the room, freezing when she saw the massive grinning Soulless approach her.

"And there it is," said Viskel. "Looks like it's the end of the road for you!"

His grin stretched from one end of his face to the other, rows of black sharpened teeth outlined by a glowing mouth. He tore a gleaming knife out from his side.

"He looks like that guy I get the autograph from, but different…" said Zenko. "Sycamore! But…you're not him, you don't have the suit, you just got knives in your back…"

"And one in the hand," said Viskel, tipping his knife to the side.

Metal Bat struggled to get up, yet his body would not allow him. An invisible force of a thousand tons weighed him down, pushing him into the steel no matter how hard he tried to get up. Metal Bat strained and groaned, his eyes widening at the nightmare before him.

"Don't you dare hurt her," said Metal Bat. "Do you hear me, you fucking bastard! Don't you dare hurt her!"

Zenko gave her brother a surprised look, her eyes wide at the crumpled Metal Bat sitting on the ground. Turning back, she gasped as she realized Viskel was upon her, his knife hovering above her head.

"So this is what Silan means…" said Viskel. "Hmm…"

Zenko took a step back, her heart pounding as Viskel loomed. His eyes wild, he grinned down at Zenko as Metal Bat screamed at him to stop. His pleas fell on deaf ears.

For a moment, everything hung in place as Viskel readied a swing. Metal Bat struggled against the invisible weights, the muscles in his arms tearing as he writhed against the force upon him. Zenko watched the Soulless with her mouth hanging open.

Viskel looked down at her. She couldn't do a thing against his assault, and for some reason, this only drained him of energy. His excitement faded as Zenko stared up at him, half-defiant and half-terrified.

"Hmm…" said Viskel. "You, uh, have some spirit in you, eh? Got a big scary monster right over you and you still look like you wanna fight, even if you can't…" He frowned. "I uh…I need to check something. One second."

Viskel slid back out of the hut, his body a stream of shadow against the air. He slammed the door behind him, causing Blast to jump at the table.

"Back so soon?" asked Vastal, who stepped out of the way as Viskel stood staring at the hut. "You teleported her in there, huh?" Vastal's voice was tinged with disappointment.

"Yeah…" said Viskel. "I don't know, if they can't fight back, there's not much joy in it for me…feels kinda pointless…and weird."

"Mmm," said Vastal, eying the knives sticking out of Viskel's back. "Always the fighter."

"Well, what do I do then?" asked Viskel, his arms slouching. "I've got to do something surely, Silan expects it…"

"I can knock Metal Bat around and we'll call it good," said Vastal. "Don't worry about it."

Tatsumaki watched from over at the table, her arms shaking at the sound of the two Soulless talking.

"Okay…" said Viskel. "Hmm…"

"What is it?" asked Vastal.

"Dunno," said Viskel, his eyes raising to the clouds above. "Thought it would be more exciting here."

"Exciting?" asked Vastal.

"Yeah…" said Viskel. "But eh, the food is nice, and not getting shot at is nice."

"Yes it is," said Vastal. "Stop thinking about fighting, we're not going back."

"Nah, I don't want to go back," said Viskel. "Just wasn't sure what to expect. Ah well, I'm sure Silan's got plans for us all."

"I'm sure he does," said Vastal. "But stick close to me, eh? Silan's your boss, but I've been looking after you for much longer than he has."

"True…" said Viskel with a sheepish grin.

"What were you doing in there?" asked Tatsumaki. The look from Viskel immediately made her regret her question.

"None of your damned business," said Viskel. "Official stuff. Stuff you're not involved in. You're under our rule, you don't get to question it."

"Cool it Viskel," said Vastal. "And you know the rules Tatsumaki."

"What exactly did he do?" asked Atomic Samurai. "What rule did he break?"

"He…uh," said Viskel. "Uh…called us monsters, and that's an insult to us, no insults!"

"In other words, keep your damned mouth shut," said Vastal. "Consider that a rule, and start following it."

"You-" began Saitama.

Vastal shuffled forward, his massive metal body shuddering along several cracked platelets. Saitama closed his mouth, fire raging behind his eyes.

_This is insane, _thought Saitama. _What the hell is happening? Who the hell are these losers, why are they doing this, how are they this strong?_

A loud humming sound slithered from the skies above, snaking its way into Tatsumaki's very soul. She looked up to see a ship floating down from the clouds towards a clearing near the table.

"Saitama," she said as the ship neared the ground. "Everyone. I know you all want to help, but we won't be doing anyone any favors by being beaten or dead. Trust me, I want to fight as much as you, but I've seen how strong these guys are. You all have. We can't beat them, and fighting them won't make things better. If you want to be heroic…you'll have to do it quietly."

Vastal gave a small nod to Tatsumaki, her words briefly distracting him from the ship above. Viskel eyed the ship with suspicion.

"Wise words," said Vastal. "Like she said, just shut it and listen, and you'll be fine."

A door on the side of the ship slid open as it touched the ground. Out came a snarling Soulless, clad in sloping armor but without his helmet this time. His right hand remained clamped in a wad of silver hair as Garou came stumbling out of the ship as well.

"Oh it's just Greidhof," said Viskel. He yawned as he sat down on Vastal's nearby lawn chair. Vastal grumbled and materialized a separate lawn chair right next to where he was standing, sitting down as Greidhof approached.

"Where the hell is Silan?!" asked Greidhof. "I've brought the person he so-called forgot, now where is he? He better not waste my time like this again, he's already going back on his agreement-"

"Hey!" said Viskel, pointing to Greidhof with a vicious stare. "You can't insult Silan like that! I'll kick your ass!"

"If he sets up a system, he should stick to it," said Greidhof. "And if I have to wait much longer, I'll just drop this pest off here. He's lucky he's even alive this one, was mouthing off to my guards and they nearly gunned him down. You can thank Silan for your own skin, pest."

Garou coughed, blood sputtering out from his mouth and dribbling down his chin in tiny red streams. He glared up at the Soulless who had his hair in a knot.

"You can…go fuck yourself," said Garou.

Greidhof flung Garou to the ground and raised his foot, clawed and gleaming in the sun. Garou turned over to witness Greidhof's foot come crashing into his chest, blood spraying from his mouth as he shrieked in pain. Greidhof raised his foot again and slammed it back into Garou's chest, smirking as he heard a wet crunching noise sound off from below.

"Greidhof!" said Tatsumaki.

Greidhof froze in place, his foot hovering over Garou's chest. Bang and Saitama along with Atomic Samurai all looked ready to jump out of their seats, with Viskel eying them all with irritation.

"Who just said my name?" asked Greidhof. "Did one of you degenerates just-"

"If you kill Garou, Silan's just going to ask for another person," said Tatsumaki. She shook in her seat.

_If what I can tell about this asshole is right, maybe I can get him on our side, _thought Tatsumaki. _At least for a bit…oh God, the things I have to say to these people, the way I have to appease them…I hate this, I fucking hate this._

"For another person," said Greidhof. "Go on degenerate, what else do you have to say?"

"Well, if you wanted to stick it to Silan…" said Tatsumaki, her mind running desperately to search for ideas. Every member of the table was staring at her now, aside from Blast, whose hair ran in dark veins over his face as he looked down at his food.

"Go on," snarled Greidhof, his foot still hovering over a shaking Garou.

_She's standing up for Garou of all people? _thought Saitama. _Not that I want to see the kid die, but this Greidhof guy looks fucking unstable…be careful Tatsumaki._

"You…you could ask for a trade or something," said Tatsumaki.

_Honestly not sure how bad it is out there, but surely it can't be as bad as it is in here, _thought Tatsumaki. _Can it?_

"Enough with the games," said Vastal.

Tatsumaki sat riveted to her seat as Greidhof swung his foot around Garou and stomped it into the ground. He marched right over to where Tatsumaki was sitting, her heart pounding louder and louder with every step Greidhof made. By the time he had made it over to her, Tatsumaki was gripping the edges of her seat, her eyes trained on his and her heart like a ticking time bomb.

Greidhof shook his head at her, his mouth pulled back in a gnarled frown. He reared back and smacked Tatsumaki across the right cheek. The force from the impact knocked her to the ground, making her world spin. She raised a hand to protect her face from the fall, feeling blood trickle out from the side of her face as she hit the dirt.

"Filthy degenerate," said Greidhof. "Acting as if I don't know what to do." He spat at Tatsumaki, whose shoulders tensed as she felt the liquid hit her on the back. "Don't speak to me again unless I allow it, you pathetic, worthless, _conniving_ little creature."

Viskel rocketed out of his seat, his eyes trained on something in the distance. Vastal grunted as he did the same, his body shuddering upwards as if it were ready to fall apart. Greidhof turned to see Silan approaching the table, a thin smile on Silan's face.

"Ah, you made it," said Silan. "Though, I see no reason for you to be rude to my citizens. They broke no rules, no?"

"This one," said Greidhof, pointing a finger at a fallen Tatsumaki. "Is irritating."

"Please Greidhof, Tatsumaki is an esteemed and valued member of the community," said Silan. "And I know you must be irritated, with having to bring another person here on such short notice, but you have no place in attacking my citizens unless they are causing grievous injury of the mind."

"She…" said Greidhof. "Ugh. Fine. Even still, you-"

"Apologize," said Silan.

"What?"

"Apologize. To our dear Tatsumaki. She's had quite the day today."

Greidhof stared at Silan, his mouth hanging open. Silan grinned back.

"Well?" asked Silan.

"Not to a thing like her," said Greidhof. "Not to…a degenerate!"

"You'll have to learn Greidhof," said Silan. "For a more stable society, we should not mete out punishments unless they are warranted. You are all about control, surely you understand that."

"They can't fight back!" said Greidhof. "These helpless, worthless bastards are nothing! We can beat them whenever we want, anytime they so much as _think _about fighting back-"

"Perhaps in your jurisdiction," said Silan. "But here, we are smarter than that. Apologize."

Silan stood tall over the table, peering down on everyone, even the snaking Greidhof. The smaller Soulless let out a disgusted sigh as he turned down to glare at Tatsumaki. She had risen to her feet by now, her hands clenched and the most hateful of glares on her face.

_That look, _thought Greidhof. _I'll crush it out of you, make no mistake. You might not be under my thumb now, but you will be, you will be…_

"I…apologize," said Greidhof. "You…would be best off watching yourself in the future."

Tatsumaki spat directly into Greidhof's face, prompting a howl of laughter from Viskel. Vastal smiled from under his helmet.

"I'll be sure of it," said Tatsumaki.

Greidhof's eye twitched. He raised both arms, his hands extended out as if to wrap his fingers around Tatsumaki's throat.

Silan chuckled.

"That will be enough for now," said Silan.

"She…you saw that!" said Greidhof. "How dare she! I'll kill you, you little cretin, I'll _kill_ you!"

"Enough Greidhof," said Silan. He snaked an arm around Greidhof's back and yanked him away from Tatsumaki, pulling a stumbling and shocked Greidhof back over to where Garou was.

"But…" said Greidhof. "But…"

"I understand, it's been a stressful day," said Silan. "And I am truly sorry for such late notice, I really did forget about poor Garou being on my list. Tell you what, I will make it up to you one day, and of course will notify you of any more transfers with much more time in the future."

"You said…they were all…" said Greidhof. "In your damned camp. That you had them all!"

"Ah, but you can allow such a small mistake," said Silan. "After all, a tiny one here or there will not ruin you. And besides, you are in a much better place now, are you not? As I've always told you, you stick with me…"

He cranked his arm into an L-shape to point to the sky.

"And the only way to go is up," said Silan. "And I certainly think that's the case here. Go on, run on home, expect a consolation from me at some point, as a token of gratitude for your compliance."

Greidhof grumbled as Silan pulled him towards his ship.

"Get that idiot to stop laughing at me," said Greidhof. "And…and…make Vastal and the idiot stand whenever I arrive, and I'll be satisfied."

"I'll see what I can do," said Silan. "Now run along, I'm sure you have your own things to do."

"And hurt that woman," said Greidhof. "I hate her. She has resistance in her eyes, and she's worthless."

"The resistance is what draws me to her," said Silan. "Now run along."

Greidhof sighed as he entered his ship, the door sliding closed behind him. A few moments later the ship took off from the ground and darted away from the camp. Viskel rubbed tears out from his eyes as he recovered from his laughing fit and watched the ship leave.

"Ah," said Viskel. "I take it back. The robot's not my favorite, it's the lady with the green hair. Ahhhhh, that was good."

"Highlight of my day," muttered Vastal. "So what now Silan?"

"Back to business as usual," said Silan. "And well done Tatsumaki, providing a shining example for everyone here."

"What?" asked Tatsumaki as she stood near her seat. "With him?"

"Of course," said Silan. "He didn't follow the rules, he's out of our jurisdiction, and you made him pay for it. An excellent show, and of course, Greidhof certainly deserves a lesson or two from time to time. Even still, you would still be wise to show him some respect should he come here. He too is a superior of sorts, and I would tire should he have a fit every time he comes here."

"But he does that all," said Viskel. "The. Time. He did that on the way here, he did that back at Temra's place, pretty sure he even bitched after I got stabbed that one time!"

"There's been many times," said Vastal.

"Yes yes even still," said Silan. "Carry on. I have some plans for the day, and need to move some supplies for our injured back at the main infirmary."

He turned and walked back to the main building, with Viskel bounding after him asking how he could help. The two of them disappeared into the massive cathedral of a building, their shadowy forms melting into the darkness of the great hall before the doors snapped shut behind them.

"Well…" said Saitama as he looked over at Tatsumaki. "So much for quiet means of heroism eh?"

"You know what I mean," said Tatsumaki. "Just no fighting."

"What you did was very brave," said Bang.

"Very," said King. "I don't think I could've done it."

"Impressive," muttered Atomic Samurai as he sipped a cup of tea. "Now if only we could do that to Silan himself."

King gave a nervous look over to Vastal as Atomic Samurai spoke. Vastal gave no hint of a response, only choosing to lean against the hut behind him.

"Surely together we could take him," said Blast, his voice muted as his words hit the table.

"What?" asked Saitama. "Earlier you were telling me not to do it!

"I changed my mind," said Blast. "We could all rush the idiot behind us. Then make our way out. Easy."

"All of us…" said Atomic Samurai.

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "He could freeze you in your place, kill you without even touching you. It's not worth it to try, we have to figure out something else."

"Really want to punch him though…" said Saitama. "And Metal Bat…Metal Bat's still in there."

Tatsumaki glanced over at the hut where Metal Bat had been taken to, a bastion of silence amongst the courtyard.

"King, Bang and I take the left," said Blast into his plate. "Saitama, Tatsumaki and Atomic Samurai take the right. Garou…I don't even know if he can get up."

Garou snarled, heaving himself to his feet. Blood poured from his mouth as he hyperventilated.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," said Garou. "And nice one Tatsumaki, that bastard's as good as dead when I meet him."

"Don't mention it," said Tatsumaki. "And Blast, shut the hell up. You're going to get more people hurt for no reason."

"I have to get out of this," said Blast. "I will not be constrained. I will not be degraded like this. This was not how it was supposed to be."

"I…I hate being here too," said Tatsumaki. "I…hate being constrained too. But…we…we have to follow them for now, as much as I hate it."

Faint images of a glowing green cylinder ran through Tatsumaki's mind and her breath caught in her throat.

_There's no escape, _she thought. _My sister…and me…we're trapped here, we can't get out…there's no escape…_

"You won't even be able to get out of your seats if you try to rush me," said Vastal. "So unless you want to die today, I wouldn't advise it."

"We should try," muttered Blast.

"Then you go first," said Vastal. "Show them what a real hero looks like then, you fucking idiot."

Blast said nothing, peering down at his empty plate. His eyes were wide and his face pale, stretched out over his features like a gaunt Halloween mask.

"That's what I thought," said Vastal, crossing his torn-up arms. "Heroism my ass. Be practical about this, like Tatsumaki. Whether you like it or not, you're in our world now. Best shut up and get used to it."

Tatsumaki took a step away from the table closer to Vastal. He peered over at her and she raised her arms in self-surrender.

"I just wanted to ask if I could see Metal Bat," said Tatsumaki. "Just to see him."

"Why," said Vastal. "And Garou, sit down and eat something, or don't for all I care. Just stop standing there and hyperventilating over the food."

"Think…that bastard…broke my ribs…" said Garou, giving Vastal a nasty glare. "You think…I can eat like this?"

"Ugh, fine, I'll take you to our infirmary later," said Vastal. "And as for you Tatsumaki, why do you want to see him?"

"Just to see how he's doing," said Tatsumaki. "Make sure he's not dying in there or something."

"And you care because?" asked Vastal.

"I might not know him that well, but I'm trying to keep everyone together," said Tatsumaki. "I don't want…anyone to lose themselves. It's not what I want, it wouldn't be…what Secter wanted either." Tatsumaki's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Secter's name, her heart accelerating if only for a moment.

"Good luck with that," said Vastal. "But fine. Just for a moment."

Tatsumaki gave a small nod, shuffling forward as she rubbed at the dried blood caking on her cheek. Dropping her hand to scratch at the tears in her dress along her shoulder, she approached the door and opened it to let the light from outside flow in.

At the other end of the room sat Metal Bat, his head leaning over a sleepy Zenko as she cradled herself in his arms. He blinked away tears as he spotted a shocked Tatsumaki step through the doorway.

"You're…you're alright," said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah I'm fine," said Metal Bat, rubbing at his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought Viskel had hurt or killed you for a bit," said Tatsumaki. "Why…why is Zenko here?"

"I don't know," said Metal Bat. "Think that bastard Viskel made her appear here, threatened her with a knife…and there was nothing I could do. Nothing I could do…"

He sniffled, clenching his teeth to hold back another wave of tears.

"Just let me be," said Metal Bat. "And keep that bastard Viskel away from me and my sis."

Tatsumaki gave a little gasp at his words. She took a step back as she turned towards the entrance.

"I…can't promise anything," said Tatsumaki. "I'll do what I can to keep us all safe, but I can't promise anything…they hurt my sis, and I couldn't stop them…"

Metal Bat gave Tatsumaki a shocked look.

"They…those…" Metal Bat's expression shifted from shock to pure rage, and he squeezed Zenko tight, prompting an annoyed grumble from the little girl. "We're in this together Tatsumaki, even if we disagreed before, we're gonna make all those Soulless pay."

"Trust me, I want them to suffer for what they've done," said Tatsumaki. "But…we just can't fight them. We have to find another way."

"Like how?" asked Metal Bat. "What could we do?"

"I have some ideas," said Tatsumaki. "We'd have to be careful, but I have some ideas."

. . .

Tatsumaki left the hut, giving a wary eye to Vastal as she saw him approach Garou. Closing the door behind her, she grimaced as Vastal snapped his fingers at Garou and made him vanish.

"There, he's at the infirmary," said Vastal. "Damned whiner."

"His ribs were broken…" said King.

"I can guarantee everyone in this camp has had worse," said Vastal. "On our side at least."

"Hey," said Saitama. "Where's Fubuki? Isn't she in this camp too?"

"She was attacked," said Tatsumaki. "She's…not doing well, but she's in the infirmary."

"Great," said Saitama. "Just fucking great. As if I wasn't worried and angry enough."

"I've never seen you like this before Saitama," said Bang. "This is…different, for all of us."

"Yeah, I'm not really accustomed to losing either," said Saitama. "Or being helpless. And also, can I get Genos off of the wall? He doesn't even have limbs, it's not like he can fly away."

"He can't walk either," said Vastal. "So there's no reason to have him out."

"Ugh," said Saitama.

Tatsumaki approached Vastal, who turned to look down at her. He towered over her like a steel fortress would a single attacker, a lone besieger against a great armored goliath. Her eyes heavy in their sockets, Tatsumaki let out a small sigh.

"Thanks for letting me see Metal Bat," said Tatsumaki. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to see my sis, at the infirmary."

"Did you eat?" asked Vastal.

"No - not much," said Tatsumaki. "Not really hungry."

"You should eat," said Vastal. "You're thin as is, worse than Viskel."

"I'll eat after I come back," said Tatsumaki. "Please, I need to see her, she's my sister."

Vastal sighed. The worry Tatsumaki had for her sister was something he could understand, no matter how badly he tried to ignore it.

"Fine," said Vastal. "It's over at the edge of the camp."

"I know where it is," said Tatsumaki. "But thanks. You've…been kinder than the rest."

"I couldn't care less about you," said Vastal. "Feel like I've told you this before."

"Yeah well, sometimes what you say doesn't always align with what you do," said Tatsumaki. "But that's not a bad thing." She glanced down at the gaping holes in Vastal's arms.

Vastal shook his head at her.

"I know what you're trying to do," said Vastal. "You're not the first. Trust me, it's not going to work, I've learned it's best not to care. I worry about my own problems, keep my head down, and everything turns out alright."

_Coward, _thought Tatsumaki.

"But you do care," said Tatsumaki. "You care about Viskel, and if you really hated us as much as you've said, you would've hurt us by now."

"Knock it off," said Vastal. "I'm only being softer on you because you're a bunch of humans as opposed to Soulless. You're not like them, you're…weaker."

"I don't think we're really as weak as you say," said Tatsumaki. "Even if we're not as powerful."

Vastal was getting irritated. He stalked away from Tatsumaki to lean back at his favorite spot not far from Genos.

"The rest of you, hurry up and finish eating," said Vastal. "Then…then I don't know, go to your huts or talk for all I care. Just don't do anything to piss me off."

"I wish to be freed," said Genos, cranking his head towards Vastal. The gears in his neck made a sputtering sound as they turned. "And reunite-"

"No," said Vastal. "Shut it."

Genos turned to look at Tatsumaki, his eyes grave. Next, he glanced at Saitama. Defeated, he peered back at the ground.

_If Saitama can not resist, _thought Genos. _Then I have no chance._

Saitama gave a tired look over to his friend attached to the wall.

Tatsumaki turned towards the table, only getting distracted for a moment when she spotted Viskel and Silan head out from the main building with a box of glowing bandages in hand. Setting it down on the pathway to the courtyard, Viskel looked up at Silan with his back hunched.

"Agh, the knives are sore today," said Viskel. He rotated the muscles on his back, grimacing at the knives still burrowed into his body. "When do you think I'll be able to take them out?"

"Do you need to?" asked Silan. "You are an animal, a vicious thing. Surely a bit of pain won't stop you."

"Yeah, you're right!" said Viskel, straightening up. Doing his best to hide a wince, he smiled at Silan. "I am one of the best fighters around! Though…" He scratched at where one of the blades had been lodged into his back, the skin around it a shade paler than the rest of his body. "They are a pain…"

Silan ignored him and turned to walk back to the main building. Viskel dropped his hands and bounded after him, his back muscles shuddering as he went along.

Looking over at the table, Tatsumaki gave a small smile to the heroes assembled before her.

"Metal Bat's alright," said Tatsumaki. "And I'll be back, have to check on my sis."

"Hope she's alright," said Saitama. "Tell her I said I'm hoping for her."

"And I as well," said Bang.

"Me too," said King.

Genos gave a small nod to Tatsumaki, while Atomic Samurai and Blast stayed silent for a moment.

"Give her my best wishes," said Atomic Samurai.

Tatsumaki smiled at the group in front of her and headed towards the infirmary, a new energy in her stride. She made it to the door and pushed it open, narrowing her eyes as she entered a dim cavern of a hut with hospital beds outlining both of the walls. The lights from above shone off the pure white sheets of each of the beds, and Tatsumaki spotted a still Garou laying atop one to her left. He raised an eyebrow at her as she entered, both hands resting atop his shuddering chest.

"You again," said Garou. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Checking on my sis," said Tatsumaki. "You seen her?"

"Think she's in the back," said Garou. "Hard to tell since I can't move much, but I think I saw her in the back row. From what I can tell, she doesn't look too good."

Tatsumaki's heart dropped three stories below, all the way down to her stomach. She spotted her sister laying atop a bed in the back. Dread flushed Tatsumaki and she ran over to Fubuki. Her arms began to shake uncontrollably as she gripped the side of her sister's bed.

Fubuki looked about the same as she had that morning, her face pale and her breathing labored and pained. If it weren't for the fact that her chest still moved, she looked ready to be embalmed, and a sickly sweet stench rose up from her body as sweat and blood poured off of her. The black bandages around Fubuki's wounds were peeling off, and her leg looked swollen and red.

"Help…" whispered Fubuki, her eyes half-closed. "Help…"

"Sis, it's me," said Tatsumaki. Tears welled up from behind her eyes, and Tatsumaki let them flow down across her face, warm emissaries of anguish. She reached over and stroked the side of Fubuki's face, groaning at how clammy her skin felt. "It's me."

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "Sis…sis, it's over for me."

"No," said Tatsumaki. "No, please God, don't say that."

"I can feel it…" said Fubuki. Tatsumaki had to lean over her sister to understand what she was saying. "Sis…it's getting hard to breathe…"

"Just…just keep going alright?" said Tatsumaki, a punch of nausea tearing its way through her stomach. "I'll get help, you just have to stay with me, please. If I lose you…I'll have no one…"

"Secter…he's still out there…"

"I really hope so," said Tatsumaki, the world turning into a field of transparent waves through her vision. "But you have to stay with me sis, I love you so much…"

"Love you too…" said Fubuki. "But I can't…keep going…much longer…"

"I'll get help," said Tatsumaki. "Just keep going, I'll get help!"

Tatsumaki ripped herself away from the bed and bolted out of the hut, sprinting back towards the table. Tears flew away from her eyes back out towards the sides of her head as she ran. By this point the table was empty aside from Blast and Atomic Samurai, with the samurai munching on a sandwich while Blast sat slumped over. The rest of the heroes were clustered around Genos, while Vastal stood by the hut in which Metal Bat and Zenko resided.

Turning her attention from them, Tatsumaki spotted the box sitting alone in the middle of the courtyard, a heap of glowing bandages jutting out of the top. Her eyes widened. Hope was being presented right in front of her.

She turned back to Vastal, who was staring over at Saitama and his group. Then back to the box. Then to the main building, which stood as quiet and ominous as ever, its spires stretching out into the sky. Then back to the box.

She ran for it.

Scooping up as many bandages as she could, Tatsumaki turned away from the box and dashed back over to the infirmary, pushing the door open as she neared the entrance. Stumbling towards her sister, Tatsumaki whipped around and set the bundles of bandages on the bed behind her, her head pounding as she furiously blinked tears away from her face.

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "I think I heard you…"

"It's me," said Tatsumaki. "Don't worry sis, I got help. I got help for you."

She snatched up a bandage roll and began to wrap it around Fubuki's leg, frantically unraveling it over and over across the bloodied flesh until the entire thing had encased Fubuki's appendage in a glowing heap. Taking another, Tatsumaki wrapped the next wound, grunting as she lifted Fubuki off of the bed a few inches with one hand to allow her to wrap the bandage around her sister's torso. By the time Tatsumaki was done, Fubuki resembled the side of a building in the midst of night, glowing strips all over her body. Nodding at her sister, Tatsumaki took a step forward near the bed.

"That'll help sis," said Tatsumaki.

"I still feel…weak," said Fubuki. "But things don't…sting as bad as before…"

"Those bandages will work much better," said Tatsumaki. "Not sure how, but they will."

"Sleepy…" said Fubuki. "Everything hurts…but so sleepy…"

"Get some rest sis," said Tatsumaki. Leaning down, Tatsumaki planted a kiss on Fubuki's forehead. "You'll need it."

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "Be careful out there."

"I will."

Turning around, Tatsumaki took a deep breath as she looked at the few bandages that were left. Glancing all around the hut, she sighed as she realized there was not a hiding spot anywhere to be found. As she walked forward, she heard Garou whisper to her from the side.

"Hey," said Garou. "I'll take em. Maybe even use em."

Tatsumaki turned and rushed over to him. She shoved the bandages into his arms.

"Use them quick, I had to steal them," said Tatsumaki. "And when you're done…I…I don't know, you'll have to find someplace to hide them."

"Will they work on bones?"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "But use them quick if you need them. Otherwise I have to get out of here."

"Alright," said Garou. "Thanks."

Tatsumaki gave a small nod and dashed outside, closing the door behind her as she went. She arrived at the edge of the courtyard to see Silan pointing to below the halfway point at the obelisk of rules, while Viskel slouched over the empty side of the table. Approaching the table, she spotted Saitama and his group in the same spot as before, while Vastal watched her as she went along.

"And as you know," said Silan, mid-way through his lecture. "That is rule number six. Very, _very _important this one. I would be willing to dole out some particularly beneficial rewards to those who follow this one today, for I am in a surprisingly good mood. Now, for the rest of the rules…"

Tatsumaki turned to peer back over where the box was. Nothing stood in its place. Grimacing, she turned to look down at the table, when she noticed Blast was staring right at her.

"What do you want?" asked Tatsumaki.

Blast swiveled in his chair, looking over towards Silan. For whatever reason, Silan was staring and grinning at him, as if he expected Blast to begin speaking.

"Tatsumaki stole some bandages," said Blast. "From the box. The one meant for the other infirmary."

Tatsumaki's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a thousand hands from every which direction. She gripped the edge of the table as Blast rose from his seat with a smile on his face.

"Oh?" asked Silan. "Is this true, Tatsumaki? The box did feel a little lighter…"

"I…" said Tatsumaki.

"Tell the truth," said Silan. "We'll know if you're lying."

"They…they were for my sis!" said Tatsumaki. She slammed a fist down on the table, knocking over glasses and plates of food alike. Her face turned bright red as she spoke, utter fury and contempt bleeding from her words. "You left her in there to die, you said you'd take care of her and she was dying! I _had_ to do something!"

"I see," said Silan. "It seems you have not only stolen from us, but are claiming I am dishonest. A real shame to see you act this way Tatsumaki, not at all leaderly of you."

"I won't," said Tatsumaki, baring her teeth in a vicious snarl. "I won't let you leave her."

Saitama and the rest of the group began to shuffle forward, all of them watching Blast with pure hatred in their eyes. Saitama led the group with fists clenched, the veins in the sides of his head threatening to burst out of his skull.

Silan sidled over to the table, his head hung low but his grin still gleaming. He stood next to Viskel, who eyed Tatsumaki with skepticism.

"A shame indeed," said Silan. "But rules are rules. Blast, you are free to go."

"I…what?" asked Blast.

"Go on," said Silan.

Shock took hold of Atomic Samurai and every other hero in the courtyard. Atomic Samurai's mouth started to drop open, while Tatsumaki remained riveted to the spot. It didn't make sense, it couldn't make sense. She watched as Blast began to rise in the air, looking around as if he might be shot down at any moment.

"Fly off," said Silan. "You are free to go. That is of course, unless you want to stay?"

Blast gave one last look of incredulity down at Silan. Then, he took off, rising higher and higher into the sky until he was but a speck amongst the clouds. Tatsumaki watched him go, her hands turning limp and her body slowly sliding down the table. She refused to take her eyes off of Blast as he rose into the sky, farther and farther away from the earth below. He was free. She remained.

. . .

Koros sat opposite Secter in their cell, his eyes trained on the wound on his leg. It had slowly healed over the past few sessions down at the burner, a sore, dark gap across his leg rather than the oozing gash it had once been.

"Not bad," muttered Koros, turning his leg over. "Still hurts like a bitch, but not bad at all…"

"Wonder where they put Varo," said Secter, the whites of his eyes gone yellow from exposure to ash and burning corpses.

"Who?"

"Varo. You know, the guy who's been working with us?"

"Oh. Eh. Don't know."

Secter shook his head. Every piece of him felt like falling apart, not as sore as when he had first arrived yet somehow twice as tired. He kept blinking in rapid bursts every few seconds, his mind smelting in his head as he tried to focus on the ground in front of him.

"Wonder if-" said Koros.

An eruption of metal sounded off from outside, followed by screaming and shouting as something rumbled towards the front entrance of the outpost. An ear-piercing _thud-thudthud-thud _rang from the outer side of the wall and Koros dashed to his feet to peer outside.

"What the fuck?" asked Koros. "That's…that's a big-ass gun."

"What is it?" asked Secter, the screeching sounds of elimination rifles going off in the distance bringing him to his feet. "What do you see?"

"Uh, armored cars," said Koros. He narrowed his eyes as he gripped the edge of the slit that served as his only gateway to the outside. "With turrets on top. Whoever the hell they are, they're shooting at the guards. Wish em all the best."

He slumped back over from the window and stepped aside to let Secter look. Grasping the wall, Secter stared outside and spotted a great hulking behemoth of a vehicle, a conglomerate of steel polygons on four silver wheels. Atop the vehicle was a serious looking Soulless grabbing a mounted weapon, a gun about the size of a desk and glowing through several spots on the body just like any other. It rattled as it fired away at the walls, shredding Soulless and their materials alike.

"Holy shit," said Secter. "Who are these guys?"

"Beats me," said Koros. "Can't be much worse than Supremacy though, so they might just be our ticket out of here if they can fight their way through."

Secter pulled away from the window, his eyes still trained on the glimpse of a vehicle outside.

"Maybe they'll-" began Secter. He was cut off by another explosion, this one flaring up from the wall just a few meters away. Wincing, Secter fell away just in time for a third explosion to rip through the side of the wall leading towards the front of the building. Extending an arm in front of Koros, Secter watched as a section of their wall crumbled apart, leaving several jagged gaps for white light to pour through. Retracting his arm, Secter took a step forward.

Koros beat him to the wall, tearing at the chunks of metal with his bare hands. He grunted as his arms strained to rip a piece of metal away from one of the nearest gaps. As he pulled back, the metal stretched and snapped, sending Koros stumbling back. A hole, wide enough to fit a single drawer through remained in its place.

"Go," said Koros. "And move quicker this time."

Secter gave a small nod and leaned down towards the hole, his eyes wide. He squeezed himself into the hole, squirming and wincing as pain shot through his entire body down to the old wound on his leg. He used his shoulders to push away at the metal threatening to tear into his skin, twisting and pushing until he was halfway out. Ahead of him, the armored vehicle had moved on, several armed Soulless at its side. A siren was blaring from the skies above, sections of the outpost crumbling and falling past the ground that surrounded the building and into the Nothing below. Several guards lay dead or bleeding out near the entrance, while almost a dozen more streamed out towards a great stretch of blackened ground that formed a road from the entrance, torn up by two great trails across its sides. Secter gave one massive push and tore himself free from the gap, landing on a platform of dark soil that surrounded the place. Directly in front of him lay the twisting roads withing the Nothing, a nexus of dark grounds that spiraled and twisted through the white void. This ground allowed the outpost and roads leading to it to exist even as the Nothing constantly seemed poised to swallow it. Secter stood on the ground near the outpost, shuffling to the side as he heard Koros crawling his way through.

Sidling away from the gap, Secter made it to a section of ground that connected the front entrance to the main road leading to the outpost, a great expanse of dark earth stretching hundreds of feet far and wide. He turned as he saw Koros finally pull himself out of the gap, snarling at the metal which tore at his clothes. Standing up, Koros looked over at Secter, who had begun sneaking towards the main road.

"Alright," said Koros. "Time to fucking run. Don't stop for anything, not rounds at your back, nor yelling from the front."

Secter barely heard what Koros was saying. All he saw was the road forward. Freedom. Tatsu.

He gave one look up to the nearest guard tower, a section of which was missing from some unseen explosive. Turning back, he sprinted for the road.

As Koros predicted, a few bursts of yellow energy streamed past Secter as he ran, one of which scalded his side as he made it to the edge of the road. Secter kept running and the blasts eventually stopped as he headed further and further along the path which seemed to lead to nowhere. Tripping over a crumbling divot in one of the trails in the road, Secter caught himself with his hands as he fell, his eyes wild as he crawled forward. As he brought his head back to eye level, he spotted a shocked Soulless in a stained black shirt watching him from just down the way, near a few chest-high piles of rocks scattered all along the sides of the road.

"Secter?" asked Sycamore. "You got out!"

"Sycamore?" asked Secter. "The hell are you doing here, we have to run!"

"We should be alright this far out," said Sycamore. "But we can keep going back for a bit."

The two of them turned and kept sprinting along the road, their pace slowing down as they neared a curve in the path which led deeper into the Nothing. The rest of the road was blocked from sight by the white void.

Secter peered back behind him, the outpost far enough in the distance now to where the shooting and explosions had become dull in their sound. He spotted Koros running towards the two of them, a long black pipe with glowing streams of light bleeding across it in his hand.

"There he is," said Secter. "Thought he got shot for a second."

Koros stumbled forward to reach Secter and Sycamore, his eyes wide as he approached. Coming to a halt, he glared at Sycamore and clutched his pipe until his knuckles went white.

"Well well well, look at this," said Koros. "Didn't expect to see you here, you little bastard."

"The hell?" asked Sycamore. "I'm the one who brought those people here!"

"What?" asked Koros. He narrowed his eyes at Sycamore, shadows seeping over the edges of his eyelids to give him an expression of thousand-year skepticism. "How so?"

"I…just found them rolling along," said Sycamore. "Told them that you guys needed help, and at first they just ignored me. Then I mentioned that you guys were being held by Supremacy, and they asked me which way."

"Huh," said Koros. "That's…a bit more believable. Supremacy ain't popular with all people, I can tell you that."

Secter laid a hand on Sycamore's shoulder, then pulled him in for a hug. Sycamore gave a sheepish grin as he closed his eyes in Secter's embrace. He returned the embrace.

"You might've just saved our lives in there," said Secter. "Sycamore…you really are a great friend."

"Ah, thanks," said Sycamore, beaming. "But we shouldn't do this here, we're still a bit close."

"Yeah, quit the reunion and let's keep going," said Koros. "Especially since we don't know these other guys and they don't know us. They could shoot us just as easily as some random Supremacy people."

Secter and Sycamore separated, with Secter casting a glance down at Koros's weapon.

"Well, we aren't much in the way of a threat except for that," said Secter, pointing at the pipe. "Where the hell did you get it?"

"Corpse," said Koros. "He sure as hell doesn't need it anymore."

Koros's eyes widened as he spotted two Soulless armed with pistols run out from the corner of the road. Both turned to look at the trio, with one of them diving behind a pile of rocks just up ahead. The other pointed his gun and began firing wildly at them, yellow beams ripping through the air.

"Get the fuck down!" said Koros. He dove to the ground as Sycamore dashed for the nearest pile of rocks and Secter ran to the other side of the road to jump behind another pile.

Secter clasped his hands to the back of his head as yellow streaks tore through the side of the rock pile and flashed back towards the outpost. He glanced over at Sycamore, who had shrunk against his own rockpile as the second enemy Soulless began firing at him as well. Sycamore groaned as he slid down to the ground, covering the top of his head with two shaky hands.

Then the firing on Secter's position stopped as he heard a loud _crack _echo through the air. Peering out from behind his cover, Secter spotted Koros snatching up one of the Soulless by the neck and thrusting him onto the front side of a single large rock. The Soulless's pistol clattered to the earth below.

Rearing back, Koros smashed his pipe into the Soulless's face, snarling as the Soulless's teeth were smashed in. The Soulless's mouth resembled yellow pudding, oozing with liquid and black chunks of what used to be teeth. Desperately the Soulless clawed at Koros's sides as he tried to push Koros off of him, but was greeted with another bash to the face, this one pummeling the Soulless's lips inward and crushing his jaw. His entire lower half of his face quivered as it began to fall apart and spill all over his collarbone, blood spitting out from where the Soulless's mouth used to be. Two wide, terrified eyes could do nothing but make a silent plea for mercy as Koros reared back and smashed those in too.

Something began to rumble from behind the bend in the road, prompting Koros to look up.

"Fuck!" shouted Koros. He flung the Soulless in the middle of the road as another armored vehicle came jostling around the corner, tearing its way through the dirt as it plowed over the limp form of the Soulless on the ground. Ridged, massive tires spun their way through the Soulless's legs, black slivers of skin and yellow streaks of gore flinging out from the back of the wheels as the vehicle rumbled towards the outpost.

Secter watched as the vehicle went before dashing forward. He snatched up the pistol the Soulless had dropped just as the other Soulless dove out from his hiding spot. Turning to point the gun at the newfound enemy, Secter froze as he spotted the Soulless before him.

The man was unarmed, his pistol tossed to the ground behind him. Dull yellow tears flowed forth from both of the Soulless's eyes as he threw himself to the ground over his fallen friend. Lifting the corpse of his comrade, the remaining Soulless began to sob over the dead body, his tears dripping down onto the chest of the nameless victim.

Secter lowered his gun, his mind a block of jelly frozen solid. He clenched the pistol's grip in his hand, frowning down at what he saw. The Soulless's cries echoed throughout the road, lonely and unheard by his friend.

Koros ran forth from his hiding spot and whipped his pipe upwards, catching the weeping Soulless in the jaw. The Soulless dropped his comrade and fell over onto a nearby pile of rocks, watching with terror as Koros leapt over the corpse and swung his pipe into the Soulless's face. A sickening crunch burst out into the air as the Soulless's jaw was bent forward out from his face, bones sticking out from the bottom of his right cheek. Secter could see the outline of the Soulless's jawbones from where he stood, his body frozen in shock even as Koros swung his pipe down onto the Soulless's head. The skull caved in two, the skin around the pipe's impact lacerating and streaming blood as Koros ripped it away from the divot his weapon had made.

"Hrrrrrgh," said the Soulless, his mouth filling up with liquid. He tried to get a few more words out but could only choke and cough as tears and blood streamed down the sides of his face.

"There," snarled Koros, turning his attention to Secter. "Did it for you."

"That…" said Secter, his body unwilling to move despite his mind screaming at him. "That wasn't necessary…"

"If you're going to survive out here, you're going to need to learn not to hesitate," said Koros. "You're going to need to be a monster, because there could be one lurking around every corner. You just don't know it yet."

"No…" said Secter. "No…you didn't need to do that."

"He shot at us," said Koros. "And just because he cried for his friend, doesn't mean that he's suddenly one of ours. If anything, that means we have greater reason to kill him because he's got a vendetta against us."

"He could have been one of our rescuers," said Sycamore, who had walked over next to Secter out from his hiding spot. One hand was on his opposite arm, and he stared down at the gurgling Soulless with a trembling stomach.

"They shot at us, might as well have been Supremacy," said Koros. Flipping his pipe behind his back, he shook his head at Sycamore. "Once they start firing, they're as good as dead. It's us or nothing."

Scowling down at the half-dead Soulless, Koros pointed at the gun he had left behind.

"Sycamore, get that gun," said Koros. Swinging his pipe down in front of him like a pendulum, Koros smiled at the hanging weapon. "I think I like this thing."

"What about him?" asked Secter as he gestured to the Soulless. "We can't just leave him here!"

"Let him suffer," said Koros. "The hell are you protecting him for? One lucky shot from him and he could've ended either you or Sycamore. He deserves to bleed."

Shaking his head, Koros turned away from the duo and started to walk along the road.

"Sometimes I forget neither of you have been here in a while," said Koros. "Oh, you've got a lot to learn. You've got a lot to learn…"

Secter's heart was engulfed in a maelstrom of hatred for the person walking away from him. Koros had ceased to be human to Secter, no matter his form. Instead, all he saw was a striding shadow, burning just as Secter's mind did.

"He's wrong," said Secter. "Just made everything worse for no fucking reason. We could've left, you asshole. We could've left."

Sycamore tugged at Secter's sleeve, worry plaguing his face. Secter turned to look at him.

"What do we do?" asked Sycamore. "With the guy down there?"

Secter's eyes went heavy. His entire body felt as if it were about to sink into the earth like an anchor. Looking back over at the Soulless, Secter grimaced when he saw that he was staring back. There was something in the Soulless's eyes which Secter couldn't quite place, something between that of hate and that of something else, a long-standing feeling which almost seemed to mirror the environment around him…

Hopelessness. The Soulless had given up.

"I'm sorry about this," said Secter as he raised his gun. There was no life in Secter's eyes as he leveled the barrel of the pistol at the Soulless's head. "But it's for the best."

The Soulless closed his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Secter marched forward down a black road. Everywhere was quiet, not a sound to be heard through the thick walls of the Nothing, just as it was so long ago. Sycamore walked alongside him while Koros strode several paces up ahead. Secter's eyes remained trained on the staff that Koros carried, now stained yellow for two reasons.

"Secter," said Sycamore. Secter's head snapped to attention at Sycamore's voice.

"Yeah?" asked Secter.

Two dark circles hung under Sycamore's eyes, and his shoulders and back remained slouched. He stared back at Secter with a grim determination in his eyes.

"You think we'll make it out of this?" he asked.

"I do."

"Hope Koros knows what the hell he's doing…"

Secter glanced back at Koros's staff.

"I'm not fully convinced," said Secter. "But we'll need all the help we can get, especially if Silan's still around."

"God I hope they're ok…" said Sycamore. "I just…I just have no idea…"

Secter's mouth tightened, a billowing burst of pain encapsulating his heart and taking it hostage. He blinked back tears, doing his best to keep them from escaping.

"I hope so too," said Secter. "I…don't really…want to think about that, I think that they're alive and need our help. So we need to get back to them as soon as possible."

"Agreed," said Sycamore. "And Secter…"

"Yeah?"

"We don't need to let this place change us. Like Fubuki told me, we don't have to be defined by it anymore."

"It…it will hurt us," said Secter. "Still have trouble comprehending that I'm even back. But I'll do my best to keep going, not gonna let this place break me."

"Me neither," said Sycamore. "We just have to keep going, whatever we can do."

"Oi, you two!" yelled Koros, his head snapping back around. "Look what we got."

He pointed to a cavern that sat just to the edge of the road, a rocky cave that stretched on into the Nothing and whose interior was hidden by a wall of black.

"There…there could be anything in there," said Sycamore. "You want to go in there?"

"Better than staying out here on the road," said Koros. "Plus I can tell you all need some good sleep. Not the two or three hours or whatever we got back at the outpost."

"So you want to rest in a cave…" said Sycamore.

"Yeah, you get any better ideas?" asked Koros. "And did you pick up that gun like I told you to?"

"Yes, of course I did," said Sycamore, glancing down at the gun at his side.

"Alright," said Koros. "Let's check it out real quick."

"You really think that's better than staying out here?" asked Secter.

"Well, either those armored cars come back and shoot us by mistake, or we start seeing Supremacy guards running around," said Koros. "Either one is a bad time."

"Fine," said Secter. "We'll check it out real quick. We've got your back."

Koros neared the entrance to the cave, his eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of movement. Squinting, he realized he could see the outline to the back of the cave as he took a step forward into it.

"It's not too deep," said Koros. "Looks abandoned. Good place to rest."

Secter and Sycamore drew up behind him, both clutching pistols upwards. The three of them entered the cave and walked towards the back, finding no signs of life within the cavern. Nodding, Koros sighed as he plopped down onto the ground, the floor nothing but solid rock.

"It ain't comfy but it'll do," said Koros. "So, who gets first watch?"

"I'll do it," said Sycamore, lowering his gun to his side.

"Sycamore, you just got us out of the outpost and nearly got shot," said Secter, scratching at the healing cut on his face. "You need to get some rest yourself-"

"It's fine," said Sycamore. "You two had to stay in that damned outpost while I got to go free. Plus, I wasn't the one to actually free you guys from your cell. How did you get out anyways?"

"Explosion," said Koros. "And if you want to go first, go for it. Scream at us if someone starts shooting at you."

"Right," said Sycamore, his voice dripping with irritation. "I'll be sure to do that."

Koros shrugged and collapsed down onto the floor, turning away from Sycamore. A snore started to escape his lungs the moment he laid down.

Secter sighed and looked over at Sycamore. He had already risen from his seat and was walking towards the entrance to the cave. Finding a spot not far from the opening gap, Sycamore sat down and stared out into the Nothing, watching out into the void and tilting his head to listen to the silence.

Secter gave Sycamore a sad look, wanting to reach out to him but finding his body fall from exhaustion. Laying down on the rock below, Secter shuffled and tossed in place as he struggled to find a comfortable position. Eventually he gave up and began to sleep lying face up towards the ceiling. He drifted off into the darkness.

Someone was on top of him, laying against his chest with one hand placed against it. Secter blinked and looked down in confusion, his eyes widening when he saw neon green hair splayed out all over his chest and collarbone. On top of him was a sleeping Tatsumaki, a tiny smile on her face as she slept peacefully atop Secter. Letting out a little cry of joy, Secter wrapped both his hands around her, tears pushing their way down his face as he squeezed Tatsumaki tight into his body. She was warm and content, letting out a quiet sigh as Secter held her close. Secter leaned down to kiss Tatsumaki on the top of the head, his back scraping against the stone as his spine rubbed against it. His lips meeting her scalp, Secter stayed there for a moment before pulling back and resting his head against the rock. It was heaven, and he never wanted it to end.

Then he opened his eyes.

No one was there. The only sound in the cave was Koros snoring a few feet to his right. Blinking, Secter sat up and spotted Sycamore still staring out into the Nothing, his arms folded over his legs in a crisscross position. Secter's heart turned cold when he saw that nobody was holding him, that Tatsumaki was nowhere to be found. It was the worst feeling in the world, the many armed monster of loneliness threatening to drag him back down into the abyss. Sighing, he brought himself to his feet and shuffled over to Sycamore. Sycamore turned at the sight of Secter, a confused look on his face.

"Alright," said Secter. "How long's it been."

"No clue," said Sycamore. "Maybe…a few hours at most?"

"I'll take watch for a bit," said Secter. "You go get some sleep."

"Bad dream?"

"Not really. Just…a sad reality."

"Ah," said Sycamore. "Yeah. It is."

He pulled himself to his feet and started back to where Secter had been sleeping before, giving Secter one last glance as he sat down to take his watch.

"Wake me or Koros up if you need more sleep," said Sycamore. "And don't…don't feel too bad. Maybe we'll still get out of this."

"We got out of the outpost," said Secter. "That's a start. We just need a new plan now."

"We'll…we'll figure out something. We have to."

"That's talk for later," said Secter. "Get some sleep."

"Alright."

Sycamore laid down on the floor and took his turn at rest, while Secter stared out into the Nothing just as his friend had done before. The void shifted and swirled outside the cave, yet refused to reveal anything that could possibly be beyond it. It was as if the three of them were in a cavern in the midst of a sea of white, the only thing left in the universe and the only thing that could still exist.

. . .

"Alright everyone, let's get ready to move," said Secter with a weak smile as he stood from his resting place. Koros gave him a strange look from his perch near the entrance to the cave as Secter approached. Sycamore blinked himself into consciousness, scratching his back as he pulled himself up.

"The hell you smiling for?" asked Koros. "We're still lost as fuck."

"We're out of the outpost at least," said Secter. "It might not be a big step, but it's a step nonetheless."

"Trying to stay more positive eh," said Koros. "I would be the same if we actually found a damned ship or something. Otherwise, we'll see how long your positivity lasts."

Secter shook his head and peered out of the cave, not a soul outside of it to be seen. Sycamore joined him at his side, nervously glancing from side to side.

"Alright then," muttered Koros. "If you two are ready, we should go."

He picked himself up, grunting as he shook one leg out and began to stride back onto the road.

"Let's go," he said.

"You ready Sycamore?" asked Secter.

"Yeah, I guess," said Sycamore. "We can go."

The trio stalked along the road for a while, investigating a few side paths of dirt and rocks which extended out for impossible distances out into the Nothing. It was eerily quiet, the ground a maze of roads and pathways which seemed to extend out into nowhere. Secter's body felt like an anchor the longer he walked, the longer he had to look around at the emptiness around him.

"Ugh," said Secter as he walked alongside Sycamore. "Forgot how quiet this place was."

"Least when no one is shooting," said Sycamore. "But yeah, never makes any noise, the Nothing. People swear they hear it roaring at them from time to time, but I think they've just been here too long…"

"Probably," said Secter. "And shit, I hope Varo is ok."

"Varo?"

"He was brought down to the burner room after you left. Quiet guy, was really…depressed. Feel terrible for him."

"Least you got his name," said Sycamore. "Hate to say it but…these are the people who don't get written about."

"You just about summed up everyone here," said Koros from a few feet ahead. "People went here to be forgotten, they just didn't know it at first."

"No one wanted to be," said Secter. "But those who gave up…well, that's not going to be us."

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "Though there are some I wish gave up. Supremacy and so on."

"I was…meaning to ask about that," said Secter. "What else do you know about Silan?"

"Not much," said Koros. "Man's a bastard though, just a sad little sociopath who seems to get off on hurting people. Something about twisting people or other…dunno, Supremacy officer, maybe a founder, seemed manipulative as hell. All around piece of shit, universe would be far better without him."

"Great," said Secter. "And what…what do you think he'd be doing with all our friends back home?"

"Uh…not sure," said Koros. "Never seen him interact with outsiders. If I had to guess, probably manipulating and hurting them as well. Maybe he just killed them, not sure. Then again, why didn't he kill the both of you then?"

"He…sent his group against us, but in an odd way," said Sycamore. "Let them go in small groups rather than just having them all fire against us."

"He doesn't give a shit about his group," said Koros. "Only cares about himself."

"They're not dead though," said Secter. "I can't accept that, I won't."

"If they are…" said Sycamore. "Then there's not a lot of reason to keep going…"

"No, don't say that," said Secter. "We have to hope for the best, get there as quick as we can to help."

"I know…" said Sycamore. "But it's hard…hard to even be here…" A heaviness hung from his voice, imaginary weights pulling his spirit down for all to hear.

"Ah calm down," said Koros. "We keep going, we'll find something."

"You don't know that," said Sycamore. "But I guess I don't have a choice."

The silence fell over the group again as they kept walking, Secter raising an eyebrow every time Koros took a sudden turn or stopped in place to glance around before continuing onward.

_Does he even know where the hell he's going? _thought Secter. _We really are totally fucking lost…_

"The fuck?" asked Koros, his voice lowered to a whisper. "You hear that?"

Sycamore strained his head forward, while Secter crept forward next to Koros.

Something in the near distance was yelling, screaming out into the void as if it truly believed someone were out there to hear them. Koros grimaced at the sound, unsure of what to make of it.

"Odd," he said. "You guys want to check it out?"

"No, not really," said Sycamore.

"Could be someone asking for help," said Secter. "Maybe we could help them, and they would know where to go."

"Fat fucking chance," said Koros. "Could be a trap, but I kind of doubt it. Bit obvious. No…I think this might actually be an injured or dying person, in which case maybe they have some shit on them."

"The fuck?" asked Secter, his face wrinkled in rage. "We're not stealing from a dying person!"

"Better him than us," said Koros. "Plus, we kind of already did steal."

"Those were from people already dead, all of whom had been trying to kill us," said Secter. "But we can check this out from a distance, see what's going on."

Sycamore groaned and lowered his arms, but marched along with Secter and Koros as they drew closer and closer to the sound. The voice was exploding through the air now, the sound of someone shouting to the heavens themselves.

"Everything must go, everything must go!" came the voice.

"The hell?" muttered Koros.

Up ahead, the jet-black road branched off into a side-path, obscured by fluffy walls of mist. The voice echoed through the secondary road, with Koros stalking over to the edge of the path to poke his head around the Nothing.

"What do you see?" asked Secter.

"Clearing," said Koros. "And a…stage?"

"What?" asked Sycamore.

Secter slid over to the other side of the pathway across from Koros and peered down the way. The path led down into a clearing, surrounded by the Nothing along with a few other paths. Several rows of plastic seats were aligned neatly in front of a wooden stage, with a single Soulless standing atop the stage and gesturing wildly out to an invisible audience. Only one other Soulless was in the area, his head dipped over his chest as he slumbered in one of the seats. The Soulless up on the stage shouted and flung his arms up and down as he spotted Koros and Secter, gesturing and flailing for them to come over.

"Come along!" shouted the Soulless. "Come along! I won't bite! I only have things to offer!"

Behind the Soulless was an assortment of items, an array of crumbling objects all of which sat in massive piles on the back of the stage. Secter saw the base of a stone statue adorned with two clawed Soulless feet of grey, a heap of cracked and broken elimination rifles, a large glass case with a shard of metal within it, and various other relics haphazardly placed around.

"So many damned weirdos in this place," said Koros. "The hell you want?"

"Come, come!" said the auctioneer. "Do not think me a mere anomaly on the road to greatness!"

Secter and Koros exchanged looks of uneasiness and confusion before turning back to the auctioneer.

"Eh fuck it," muttered Koros to Secter. "Maybe he's got some stuff to help us out. If not, and he turns on us, we can just kill him."

"Seriously, the hell is wrong with you," said Secter. "Stop jumping straight to killing people."

"I'm just saying, if he tries anything…" said Koros. "He doesn't look too right in the head."

"Doesn't look like he has a gun," said Sycamore. "We talking to him?"

"Yeah, let's go for it," said Secter.

The trio marched forward into the clearing, cautiously making their way past rows of white chairs to get close to the stage. The auctioneer spread his hands wide from his sides as they came close, prompting Sycamore to lay a hand on the pistol at his waist.

"Excellent!" exclaimed the auctioneer. He beamed with exuberance, joy pouring out of every feature on his smiling face. He watched as Koros came close to the bottom of his perch.

"The hell is all this?" asked Koros, pointing to the piles of assorted objects behind the auctioneer.

"Ah, relics of the past age!" said the auctioneer. "We have been doing bidding for the past few hours, the highest bid is the winner!"

Sycamore glanced around at the empty rows of seats as he stood furthest from the stage, squinting at the slumbering Soulless who made up the only audience member.

"There's no one around," said Sycamore. "You're preaching to no one."

"Ah, we are all struggling to find a purpose in life by this point, are we not?" asked the auctioneer. "Sure, the crowd has been sparse today, in fact only my traveling companion has attended. And he needs the rest, done me a great deal of saving these past few days. But, just a few days ago I had quite a few interested parties!"

"Finding a purpose…" said Sycamore, his gaze turning distant. "Yeah, I know what you mean…"

"We're not interested in any of this junk," said Koros. "Only here to find a way out of this place."

"Ah, one man's junk is another man's treasure," said the auctioneer as he waggled a finger at Koros. "And this…why this is my _trove._ Though of course, I am willing to part with most of these items for a nominal fee. The usual currency of the Nothing of course, weapons, drugs, perhaps even healing items but of course I'm not really hurting for those…" He chuckled as he gestured to a small box at the side of the stage.

Secter eyed the base of the statue as he walked near the stage next to Koros.

"This is your trove huh," said Secter. "What exactly is that?" He pointed to the statue base, nothing but a pair of clawed feet adorning it. "Who was that of?"

"Uh," said the auctioneer as he glanced back at the statue. "Don't know. But in any case, you can own a piece of history! This used to be a great statue of one of the Four himself! The former great leaders of the Soulless factions! Until the war, that is… But it's all for your taking at a low price! I can start the bid if you're interested!"

"The fuck?" asked Koros. "You expect me to lug that thing around with me wherever I go? Not interested. The only thing I'm interested in is if you have an actual vehicle."

"I…I am afraid not," said the auctioneer. "Not yet at least! We mustn't lose hope friends, keep searching and I'm sure we'll all find what we're looking for!"

"And what exactly are you looking for?" asked Sycamore.

"Ah, the same as many…" said the auctioneer. He peered up to the sky of white and stretched his hands up into the air, as if to grab the void itself. "The search for happiness! Will he find it? _Will he find it?!_"

_My God, _thought Secter as he gave the auctioneer a sad little look. _The people are going mad in this place, can't say I blame them. Finding whatever they can to fill the hole…_

"Well, I hope you find it," said Secter. He twitched when he realized Koros wasn't at his side anymore, wandered off to the side of the stage as the auctioneer's attention was brought to Secter.

"Why thank you sir, you are most kind," said the auctioneer. "Rare nowadays, let me tell you."

"Thanks," said Secter. "And I'd like to help you out, but we don't really have anything to trade or buy stuff with…and most of that stuff you have probably wouldn't help us much anyways."

"Oh, a shame," said the auctioneer. "Well I would give you some things to aid you on your journey, but a man must be able to survive in this day and age!" He chuckled. "As much as I would like to give things out for free, I am afraid I can't afford to do so nowadays. So, all I can grant you is a wish of luck."

"Thanks," muttered Sycamore. "Keep at it, I guess."

"Of course!" said the auctioneer. "A historian, I am! A purveyor and seller of fine items! I never would've thought this would become my dream, but one must keep their victories small when loud voices bring so much attention. Such is the unfortunate reality of the situation."

_The fuck is this guy on about, _thought Koros as he lifted the small box and swept it behind his back. Shuffling back over to the row of seats, he smiled as the auctioneer turned back to his items and began examining them. Secter and Sycamore nodded goodbye and watched the strange Soulless carefully as they made their way back down the road. Reaching the area they had started in, Koros whipped the box around to his front and opened it up, grinning at the small heaps of glowing bandages inside.

"Fuckin idiot," said Koros. "Can't believe he's lived that long being so oblivious."

Secter gave Koros a startled look, which quickly turned to irritation as he spotted the box.

"You serious?" asked Secter. "You _stole _that from him?"

"Yep," said Koros. "Better him than us, that's for fuckin sure."

"He didn't even do anything to us," said Sycamore. "He's just trying to make his way through…"

"Yeah, but unlike him we got a long journey ahead," snarled Koros. "And don't you two have people who are counting on you? They can't count on you if you're dead, or laying in a ditch bleeding out somewhere."

"You're going to make us a lot more enemies than friends," said Secter, his hands straining from being balled into fists. "There's no need to treat everyone here like shit, they're not all Supremacy."

"And you're gonna get all goody-two-shoes to someone who won't deserve it," said Koros. "And going to pay for it dearly later."

"Trust me, I'll fight if I need to," said Secter. "There's just no fucking reason to piss people off who could be friendly! You're adding to the problem, not solving it!"

"I'm _surviving_," said Koros. "Who gives a fuck about that auctioneer guy? He could be dead tomorrow for all we know, with the medical stuff stolen by some shithead group. Like I said, if someone's gonna steal it, might as well be people who need it."

"Ugh," said Secter, rubbing his face with both hands.

"Guys, let's not fight now," said Sycamore. "We've been through enough, I don't have the energy for this."

"Good point," said Koros. "You guys are best off following my lead, since clearly I know this place better than the lot of you. Remember how I've been here multiple times and still made it back out? Yeah, there's a reason for that."

"If you were smarter you wouldn't have been brought back in the first place," snarled Secter.

Koros glared at him, crushing the corners of the box with his massive hands. Sycamore frowned at the sight of the container being destroyed.

"Guys let's just go," said Sycamore. "No need to fight over a box…"

"You're going to be the death of us Secter," said Koros. "You keep acting as stupid as you are now, and you're going to get us all killed."

"Look, I know the stuff will help," said Secter. "But you keep acting the way you are now, and you're going to get us into more trouble than we should be."

"Guys…" said Sycamore, his head dipping.

"Shut it," said Koros. "Now let's go, before that crazy bastard notices what we took."

"Not we, _you_," said Secter.

Koros rolled his eyes as he turned around and continued forward on the road ahead. Secter and Sycamore followed with reluctance in their steps, not a single one of them aware of what lay in the void beyond.

. . .

"You bastards don't even know," said Koros as he stepped over a rock on the dirt path winding through the Nothing. "Medical supplies are a hot fuckin commodity out here. You heard the auction guy, he accepted payment in drugs, guns, or med stuff. All that shit is all that's worth anything out here."

"You're not totally wrong," said Sycamore. "You're just kind of an asshole."

"Yeah I know that," said Koros. "But assholes are the ones who survive out here."

Secter's was tired again, feeling as heavy as a sinking ship and aching all over. His old wounds from his fight with Silan's gang were flaring up, with his shoulder aching with ever step. He wished with every ounce of his being that he could just lay down, feel the warmth of Tatsumaki as she stepped over to him to cuddle with him, but there was nothing but dirt and silence all around him. Sniffling, he stepped over to Sycamore as they walked.

"Missing them," said Secter. "Still worried."

"Me too," said Sycamore. "Worried we won't even make it out of here."

"For the love of God, calm down," said Koros. "We'll find a way out, I've done it before."

"Yet you don't even know where to go," said Secter. "You know how large this place is-"

_Krak-boom! _came an explosion in the distance, somewhere off to the south. Secter froze in place, his heart constricting into a painful mess.

"The hell?!" asked Koros. "What the fuck-"

A yellow flash of light emanated out from behind them, an entire mile of pathway being obliterated and thrown into the Nothing only to vanish as dirt hit void.

"Artillery," whispered Secter. He was terrified, the sound bringing back memories of a shattered building and a hanging guillotine-like blade. "We have to run." His mind was going as white as his surroundings, his stomach roiling as he found Sycamore pushing him forward like one would push a statue along the ground.

"Don't just say it, move it!" yelled Sycamore.

"Who the hell has that, and who the…ah fuck it just run!" said Koros. He sprinted ahead at full speed, with Secter breaking into a half-stumble, half-run right behind him. Sycamore followed along, drawing his pistol and glancing around with panicked eyes as more explosions sounded off from somewhere in the nothing to the side of them.

The path led to a gigantic clearing several stadiums in width and length, a massive field of dead grass and withered trees with several earth-coated craters off to the sides of the area. A crisscross maze of trenches lined the clearing like a series of scars off of a whipped man's back, the top of each crevice blocked by sections of wood or shiny metal. Small bunkers adorned sections of the trenches, obscuring the places underneath from view. With no other paths in sight, it was the only way forward.

"Oh for fucks' sakes," said Koros, crouching as he crept towards the entrance to the nearest trench.

Ahead, several dozen Soulless, all armed with guns and glowing blades, screamed and hooted as they streamed over and into the trenches. On the other side of the field, a similarly-sized group of Soulless did the same, waving red and grey flags as they pointed their guns forward.

"Gang war?" asked Koros. "Just our luck."

"Why are they still doing this…" said Sycamore, shuffling up to a shellshocked Secter. "Aren't they tired of this?"

"That's the only way through-" began Koros.

Another explosion from behind them, followed by two more blinding yellow eruptions of energy out in the field ahead. Entire chunks of earth were destroyed to leave little but a crater in the crumbling remains of the land below. Chunks of the earth were flung into the nearby Nothing in the wake of each burst. Secter gasped and fell to his knees just as Koros darted forward, pulling his box up in one hand and his staff into the other.

"Secter!" yelled Sycamore, his voice like the buzz of a single bee against the cheer of a hundred-man choir. "You have to move!"

Secter clutched at his stomach, only bringing himself up when he felt Sycamore's hand on his back. He was sickly, horrific thoughts running through his head.

"Don't like those guns," said Secter. "Hate that sound."

"You don't have a choice!" said Sycamore. "Either you move or you die!"

Secter gave a small nod, closing his eyes as he and Sycamore ran forward. Within seconds they were in the nearest trench, deep enough to encompass the body of a seven-foot-tall Soulless and illuminated by little more than a few white gaslights affixed to the walls. Secter wrapped his arms around himself as his body convulsed, with Sycamore pulling out his pistol in the lead.

"Completely lost Koros," muttered Sycamore. "Where the hell did he go?"

Secter retched as another explosion hit the ground in the distance, shaking the walls of the trench as if the world itself as falling apart at its impact. He leaned against the side of the trench, his breathing labored as he stared ahead. Sycamore glanced back at him, his eyes widening at Secter's face.

"You ok?" asked Sycamore. "You look like you're going to pass out."

"Feel sick," said Secter. "Hate those sounds…"

"Oh," said Sycamore, not sure why Secter was feeling the way he was but hurting for him all the same. "Oh. Well, I hate to say it, but we have to press on, we can't sit here…"

"I know," said Secter. "I know. Shouldn't even be getting sick at those sounds, should be able to push through…but it's still so hard…"

He coughed as he pushed himself away from the wall, swaying and shaking as he reached down and withdrew his pistol.

"Let's go," said Secter.

"You gonna be alright?" asked Sycamore.

"I'll manage," said Secter. "I'll take point, you keep an eye out for Koros or anyone else."

Sycamore gave a small nod and watched as Secter pushed past him to take the lead. Following him down the trench, Sycamore twitched every time he heard screaming or shouting from the Soulless combatants up above or from deeper within the trench network. The entire maze of caves had turned into a choir for the dead, moaning and shouting of the injured or dying echoing out through the dark tunnels from which there was no escape. Explosions continued to shake the ground as energy shells impacted the ground in the distance, occasionally sounding off so close that Secter would fall to his forearms and bury the back of his head in his hands. Nothing but dirt fell upon him, and he picked himself up at Sycamore's encouragement and kept going.

"You think this is the end?" screamed a voice from above. "You think we're going to forgive you for what you did?! Take this, you fucking bastards!"

Secter pulled his pistol up to his chest, Sycamore creeping behind him. Ahead was nothing but a dark tunnel, branching off into several other pitch-black narrow caverns. Secter squinted through the shadows, the gaslights having been destroyed due to sections of the trenches being caved in by shelling. Turning back to Sycamore, Secter opened his mouth to speak but could find no words for a second as he spotted a pair of glowing eyes headed straight for Sycamore's back.

Turning around and rushing forward, Secter pushed Sycamore off to the side just as a glowing blade hissed through the air and shaved its way down Secter's back, right where Sycamore's head had been moments ago. Secter grunted in pain and he charged forward to bowl into the unknown Soulless.

Sycamore whipped around, terrified. Raising his pistol, Sycamore's eyes widened as he heard another Soulless charging from behind him. He was forced to turn around just as a new attacker attempted to ram his blade into Sycamore's abdomen. Sycamore thrust his arms and gun downward to knock the blade away, but found himself being forced onto the ground as the Soulless collided into him.

Secter felt something brush against the lower part of his back as the top shelf of his skin folded back over from where it had been shaved off by the blade. Hot streams of blood ran down his back as he reared back and punched the Soulless attacker in the face.

"You bastard, we aren't even a part of this!" said Secter as he watched yellow blood spray forth from the enemy Soulless's mouth. Despite the impact, the Soulless turned up and grinned at Secter, liquid gushing out from between black teeth.

"You are now," said the Soulless.

Secter was lifted off the Soulless as the alien reached out to his side to grab his fallen machete. Tumbling over, Secter brought both arms in front of his face as the Soulless whipped around and stabbed his machete through Secter's forearm. Hissing through flesh and bone alike, Secter winced as the tip of the machete rushed out through his arm, stopping just inches away from his nose. The Soulless grunted as he gripped the machete with both hands, tugging at it to pull it back from Secter's arm. His grip slipped on the bloodied handle, and the Soulless stumbled back as Secter ripped his arm away.

With eyes full of hatred, Secter tore the machete out from his forearm, the pain melting away as he focused on the Soulless in front of him. Secter charged forth just as the Soulless pulled out a small pipe from his side. He drove the blade into the Soulless's throat, gritting his teeth as he plunged it all the way through. The Soulless dropped the pipe and clasped both hands to his neck just as an explosion obliterated a section of the trench but a few feet away from the two of them, sending Secter tripping to the side. The Soulless was sprayed with dirt and chunks of wood as he gurgled and choked, desperately trying to pull the machete from his throat but his hands finding no hold.

Secter snatched the pipe from the ground despite the pain in his arm and drew his pistol. He glanced over to see the spot where Sycamore used to be was now an avalanche of dirt and burning metal. Taking a step back, Secter stared down at his attacker, whose eyes were already turning dull as he slumped against the wall of the trench. Secter felt nothing for him, only exhaustion and panic clouding his mind.

"Sycamore!" yelled Secter. He dashed forward onto the pile of earth and onto his knees, scooping out handful after handful as he dropped his weapons to the ground. "Sycamore, can you hear me?!"

Another explosion jolted Secter to his feet, and he snatched up both his weapons as he stared at the pile in utter despair. His back stinging in pain, Secter turned from the dirt and ran down back towards the entrance to the trench where he had came, instead taking a left to enter into a new section of the underground maze.

"Sycamore!" yelled Secter as he stumbled through the dark. "Koros! Can you guys hear me?!"

Nothing but distant shouts and screams as Secter walked, bleary-eyed through the shadows. At any moment his death could come for him, buried and forgotten like the Soulless he had just left behind. His heart could feel it, every explosion sending shockwaves down from his bones and into his soul. Clutching at his bloody forearm as he walked, Secter twitched at every scuffle, every shriek, every sound that echoed throughout the trench as the explosions continued in the distance. Then came silence, eerie and sudden. Secter blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, yet the quiet remained. Wading through the darkness with nothing but his weapons, Secter listened as he heard voices from up above the trenches.

"Ah, we've won comrade!" said a stranger from the fields. "They burn in a glorious fire!"

"It's quiet," said another. "You think we got them all? They're all gone?"

"Course we did," said the first Soulless. "We had the artillery, they did not. And now! Now! The land belongs to us!"

"This?" asked the second. "This…random field?"

"Stop fucking questioning it! We lose this, we lose everything."

"We already lost everything. Don't you ever think about it? Just why the hell we're still doing this? War ended years ago, just what the hell are we doing? I don't even know half the people on the other side!"

"You don't understand. We do this, because it feels right. What else are we going to do? Years spent up here, and no signs of being any closer to being out. Just let it consume you, what we do, and think of nothing else. One day you'll learn to not care about anything but what feels right, that's all that matters."

"Everyone's going nuts. I just want to go home…"

"We never had a home, remember? We were stuck in cryosleep most of the time, or forced to patrol or guard things that didn't matter. All so the higher-ups could control such a powerful species, we didn't matter to them and when it was time for war they threw us out like trash! But now, now we're free! To do as we please!"

"No, we're still trapped. Just as aimless and numb as before. We can't start families up here, you know that Soulless can't have kids with one another. We're here to die, we can only live if we get out! This isn't freedom, this is nonsense!"

"This is the closest thing to freedom we've ever had! Don't you ever forget that! Don't you ever question what we've built!"

"We've built nothing, accomplished nothing! I want out of this fucking void, I'm losing my mind up here!"

Secter felt bad for the second Soulless, the comments about losing his mind ringing true for him as well. He continued on, the argument becoming distant as he reached the end of the tunnel he had been creeping through. Rays of white light illuminated Secter's pale face as he climbed up a ramp back out onto the battlefield. Peering around, Secter spotted the two speakers heading towards the other end of the field, while a single path stretched on in front of him. Waiting until the two Soulless disappeared from sight, Secter staggered out onto the path, his body shaking uncontrollably as he moved. His mind felt as if it was in a sea of haze, swimming through an endless expanse of grey.

_Maybe they got out, _thought Secter. He glanced back at the battlefield, half-expecting an energy shell to come flying towards him to end him for good. _Should I go back?_

He blinked over at the clearing, a jumbled mess of craters and scorched earth. A few bodies remained strewn among the battlefield, several of them missing limbs or chunks of flesh. At least one was still twitching, gasping and staring off into the void as if silently praying it would move just a little closer. Secter shivered at the sight, turning away from a scene which was all too familiar.

_He wasn't wrong…_thought Secter as he marched forward, alone. _Sycamore and Koros…they were all still fighting…do they even know why?_

He was a speck amongst the mist as he walked, taking careful steps along the rocky path as a single wrong step would send him tumbling to his doom. The path twisted along to the right, and Secter followed it along to come to an intersection of different trailways. Grumbling as he felt a sliver of his back scraping along the upper part of his waist, Secter turned around and grabbed the hanging section of skin and took hold. One deep breath. Secter tore the section of skin off of his back, his face contorting as the pain erupted over his spine. He groaned as he took a look at the clump of skin in his hand before tossing it into the Nothing. Blood flowed freely from his wounds, a reminder of the constant brutality he had escaped from not so long ago.

Taking a right, Secter spotted a row of sleek silver speedbikes, each one adorned with several slim ovular pods of grey and tipped by a long slender spike. A yellow cushion rested on each of the top of the speedbikes chassis, leading up to a couple of black handlebars which would jut out towards the rider. They sat abandoned along the side of the path, no one but a single bloody corpse sitting near them. Secter eyed the body but reeled back when he couldn't recognize the face. Moving along, Secter's eyes widened when he saw a large human and a bloodied Soulless laying on the ground not far from the speedbikes.

The ground beneath Secter was torn apart as he rushed forward, dirt flying back behind him as if his body alone were a hurricane of movement. Secter reached a bloodied Sycamore, who looked up at him with streams of yellow coating both sides of his face. Reaching down, Secter helped Sycamore up to a sitting position while he examined his wounds. There were several bleeding holes all over Sycamore's torso, and his mouth oozed yellow as he looked up at Secter.

"You got out," said Secter, his eyes full of incredulity. "I thought…I thought you were dead."

"Same…goes for you," whispered Sycamore, his voice thin. "I had to…jump forward when the trench collapsed…got hit…multiple times…" He gasped in pain before falling backward, Secter pushing him back up before his head could hit the ground. Looking over at Koros, he saw that Koros was clenching a bloodied staff to his chest, the top of the staff cracked and pointed with several shards of broken metal.

Koros had fared little better than Sycamore, one leg coated in blood while a few dark gashes allowed for his clothes to run red. A tear so deep that it shone white at the bottom stretched out from one side of his head around to the back of his skull, and Koros grinned at Secter as he propped Sycamore up.

"There you are," said Koros. "Thought we lost you there for a bit."

Sycamore gave Secter a wary look, gripping Secter's shirt with a shaky hand.

"Ahhh, looky what we found," said Koros, pointing to the speedbikes. "Course, one of those gangs had a guard, but I took care of that real quick."

"Those…" said Secter, peering over at the sleek craft. "Those might help us get out of here."

"Risky," said Koros. "If we don't know the specific way out, we'll just be speeding along random paths for everyone to hear. But it's better than what we got. First though, we should heal up best we can, especially Sycamore… Aren't you glad I got those fucking bandages now?"

"You held on to them?" asked Secter. He spotted a small box tucked under one of Koros's arms, the cardboard sagging from all the blood that had drenched it.

"Yep," said Koros. "Will help with the healing for sure." He pulled himself into a sitting position and slid the box over towards Secter, nearly tipping it over as it stopped midway through its journey across the path. Secter laid Sycamore down with care, eying the wounds all over Sycamore's body. Many of the gunshot injuries had hit Sycamore near the center of the chest, and the amount of blood streaming out from Sycamore was enough to make Secter's heart drop. Grimacing, Secter got up to walk over to the box. He froze when he heard a roar from behind him, for the briefest of moments his mind imagining a burst of yellow coming to end them all.

In a flash, a silver speeder shot out from behind the three of them, a Soulless with a grey helmet with several slim spines on the back and a black visor riding the speedbike. He reached down as the vehicle rocketed past the shocked group and snatched the upturned box of bandages, before pulling the box up to his side and tearing off down the long path deeper into the Nothing.

"The hell?!" asked Koros. "Jus-shoot…ah fuck it, he's too far off now!"

Secter bolted back towards the speedbikes, his fists clenched in rage. Every vein in his body felt ready to burst, his back straining as he leaned over the cushion of the nearest vehicle. Setting his pistol at his side, he placed his feet in the twin holsters near the bottom of the speedbike and grasped the handles with both hands.

_Been a long time since I used one of these, _thought Secter. _But if I don't go, Sycamore's going to die._

Revving the engine, Secter pulled out from the row of other speedbikes and yanked the craft back. Within seconds, he was darting after the thief, drawing his pipe from his side as he flew along.

Koros watched Secter rush away with a big smile on his face, managing to stand as he limped forward towards where Secter had driven away. The man was but a grey speck along an empty road by now, but Koros yelled after him anyways.

"Get that bastard Secter!" said Koros. "That's how to fucking do it, kill that son of a bitch!"

Sycamore watched from the ground, his breathing turning slow as his chest pumped out blood like a leaking pipe.

Ahead, Secter's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to maintain his grip on the handlebars with a stabbed arm. He could see the burning form of the Soulless rushing down the path thousands of feet away, the box still tucked underneath his armpit. Secter hated this stranger, he was the one keeping his friend from safety. His eyes were wild and pouring hatred. The world around him became irrelevant as he rushed towards his query, his grip tightening on the handlebars with one arm while his other slid off of them to pull his pipe around to his back, ready to strike.

Secter's query turned his speedbike around, dirt exploding forth from behind it as the vehicle slid to a sudden stop. Eyes narrowing, Secter went flying past the target, too slow to catch the Soulless. Tearing his body to the side and pulling the handlebars with, Secter gasped as his vehicle shuddered as it turned around, the tip of the speedbike edging right into the Nothing and vanishing from existence as it touched the void. As Secter pulled the vehicle around, the pointed spike of his speedbike was completely gone, erased from reality. Secter peered up from his damaged speedbike to see that the Soulless had once again turned towards him, revving his engine with a single hand while holding a small black club with glowing streaks in the other.

Secter stared into the visor of the Soulless, his breathing turning heavy as he imagined what the Soulless would look like with his helmet smashed in.

_You're all doing your best to take everything away from me, huh, _thought Secter. _To drag me down with the rest of you. Well guess what? It's not going to happen. Me, and Sycamore, we're going to get out of this, and there's nothing you can do can stop us. You won't break us down._

The visor foretold nothing.

Secter revved his engine, heat flaring out from the back of the speedbike as he gritted his teeth at the helmeted Soulless. With a sharp turn of his knuckle, Secter blasted forward, the air around him being cut like a knife through paper as he rocketed towards the Soulless. The stranger did the same, flying towards Secter with the club behind his back, ready to strike. Secter reared back with his own weapon, and just before the two of them came within striking range, Secter could just barely hear the Soulless say something to him:

"They did not belong to you."

Secter blinked. He hesitated.

The Soulless struck, the club catching Secter in the ribs just as Secter tried to pull away. Secter's breath was knocked from him and he tumbled from his vehicle. The Soulless crashed into the side of Secter's speedbike and went flying off of his as well. The Soulless's speedbike flipped over onto its tip before rolling off into the Nothing, while Secter's rolled and crashed onto the path, its rider tumbling and crashing along with it.

Secter groaned as he picked himself up, his eyes watering as he rubbed the side where the club had connected. The skin was soft where the blow had been struck, and underneath it, Secter could've sworn he felt a small crack in his ribs. Enraged, agonized, and brimming with motivation, Secter let out a cry of pain before stumbling towards his fallen weapon. Finding his pipe nearby, he shuffled back over to the scene of the collision, bits of metal and a few glowing bandages strewn all over the ground at the crash site. His head trained to the ground, Secter followed a trail of bandages to where the Soulless had fallen.

The Soulless was rubbing his head, a section of his helmet caved in and oozing yellow from a maze of dark cracks along the steel. Looking up at Secter as he approached, he grabbed his club from nearby and started to get up.

Secter glared at the Soulless and rushed forward even as his body strained and tore at the effort. In a mighty swing, Secter smacked the Soulless's helmet right where the damaged section was, crushing the metal inwards and sending the Soulless down to the ground. Blinking, Secter shook his head as if to wake himself from a bad dream, and spotted the box sitting on the ground next to where the Soulless had fallen. His body ready to collapse from the pain, Secter stumbled over and grabbed the box, taking a few stuttered steps back as he listened to the Soulless groan. The Soulless started to crawl along the ground, blood seeping out from the bottom of his helmet and dripping down onto the dirt. He looked up at Secter as he collected the last remaining bandages from off the ground and stuffed them into the box. It was the look a man wronged.

Secter couldn't stand it, but he knew he had to leave. The bandages he collected would not be enough for the trio in addition to the stranger.

"We…we need this," said Secter, noticing the Soulless's desperate stare. "We need this."

The Soulless laid his head onto the dirt, a pool of blood starting to form around his helmet. Weak gasps emanated out from behind his visor.

"We need this…" said Secter, stepping away from the Soulless. "I…I'm sorry." He turned away from the Soulless, his mind and body all but too willing to give up.


	5. Chapter 5

Tatsumaki sat at the table, her eyes distant and her mouth slightly ajar. Atomic Samurai watched her as she sat down, too stunned to move even as Silan and Viskel stepped behind her.

"Theft is certainly not going to be tolerated," said Silan. "I will have to think of something big for this one…"

"Blast just got to go?" asked Saitama. "What the hell?!"

"He followed the rules, and was rewarded," said Silan. "By now, you should all know what to do."

Silan squinted over at the hut that Vastal stood next to. Lifting his hand, he curled a finger at the front door as if beckoning the entrance to his location. With a great screeching sound, the hut obeyed, the front of the building melting out into a stream of shimmering metal to spill Zenko and Metal Bat out in front of everybody. Tatsumaki's eyes rose to meet Metal Bat's. Both of them were terrified.

"Well, would you look at that," said Silan. "Bringing a guest, eh Metal Bat? I certainly don't mind if she stays."

"No," said Metal Bat. "It was the him, the uh, the Viskel guy! He was the one who brought my sis here, not me!"

Silan glanced over at Viskel, who shrunk in Silan's eyes. Viskel gave a little shrug.

"Nothing to be concerned over Viskel, you certainly tried," said Silan. "A bit bull-headed, but an admirable attempt nonetheless. Even still-" Silan peered back over at Metal Bat, his grin widening. "I always enjoy new company."

"Don't," said Metal Bat, pulling a confused Zenko into his arms. "Hurt. Her."

"You do anything Silan, and I swear," said Saitama.

"Oh, you'll what?" asked Silan, chuckling. "Attack me? I think we've shown that's no longer an option by now. Doing that will only break the rules."

Saitama's face turned bright red, his teeth clenching until the tops of his molars went sore. Bang and King stood near him, Bang still full of determination while King took a step back towards a ruined Genos.

"Master…" muttered Genos. "Are you going to try again?"

"I just might," said Saitama. "Maybe he got a lucky hit in last time. And between him and Blast, I'm just angry enough to try something."

"Go for it," said Silan. "Distance yourself from the consequences, why don't you?"

Tatsumaki looked over at Saitama. She shook her head.

_Don't, _she thought. _If you lose again, he could do anything…he could kill my sis._

"If he's anything like Sycamore, he has the power to manipulate space itself," whispered Bang to Saitama. "Even if you could somehow battle on even ground with him, this being could destroy the entire planet in the process."

"I just need a good hit," said Saitama. "I want this guy dead."

"Don't we all," said Bang. "But we have to think about what could happen should you lose…"

"Make your move," said Silan. "I'm already in a good mood."

_I…don't understand this, _thought Saitama. _All this time, able to beat anything so easy…then this loser comes out of nowhere and acts as if he can run the place…why him? Out of anything I couldn't beat, why him?_

_ That's just the way it is, _echoed a sinister voice throughout Saitama's mind. _The world doesn't bend to your choosing, your fantasy world of heroes and their constant survival must be shown the reality of life, but of course, you are free to challenge this if you desire…_

Saitama bolted upright at the strange voice in his head. He gawked at Silan, who gave him nothing but an expression of joy.

"Well?" asked Silan. "You better hurry up, I have things to attend to."

Saitama lowered his hands to his sides. He took a step back towards Bang and King.

"Smart move," said Vastal. "Now, what do we do then Silan? With all this."

"Honestly, I'm going to need time to think about it," said Silan as he rubbed his chin. "Certainly with Tatsumaki, but this child is a new development." He pointed at Zenko, who was gripping on to the front of Metal Bat's shirt. She stared up at Silan, afraid of his every move but never failing to meet his gaze. Chuckling, Silan continued: "With her, we're going to run out of space! Ha ha ha, we might need to build more huts soon!"

"So many people…" said Viskel. "I don't know how you do it all."

"Oh, I always have things in mind," said Silan. "But let these people roam for a while, then send them off to their respective huts. The child…she will stay in the infirmary."

"What?" asked Metal Bat. "Why?"

"Another word from you and you'll join Mumen in the graveyard," said Silan. "And here I was thinking it was clear for you not to question us."

Shaking his head, Silan turned around and headed back for the main building. As he walked, he suddenly turned around and beckoned for Viskel.

"Actually, I have thought of one thing," said Silan. "Viskel, come with me, I have a task for you later."

Viskel gave a small nod and bounded alongside Silan, the knives in his back twitching as he followed his leader to the building. Silan couldn't stop grinning as he walked, the possibilities in his head endless, the outcomes never less than absolutely cruel.

Vastal sighed and watched as the hut rearranged itself back into its normal shape, leaning against the building as the rest of the heroes stood around in silence.

"He certainly has it in for you," he muttered to Tatsumaki. "You're in a bad position."

Tatsumaki felt as if an entire city were weighing down on her back, but at Vastal's words, the skyscrapers of dread began to crumble a little.

"You…" she said to Vastal. Rising from her seat, she began to walk over to Vastal, who watched with suspicion as she neared him. "You…you've got to help us."

"This again," snarled Vastal.

"You've been kinder than anyone else here," said Tatsumaki. "I can tell you feel at least a little guilty, surely you want to help out at least a bit-"

Vastal swung at Tatsumaki, the palm of his hand slapping the side of her face and sending her stumbling off away from him. Tatsumaki clasped a hand to where Vastal had hit her, but nonetheless rose again to glare at him with red, teary eyes. The attack was light for a Soulless, only leaving a red mark on her forehead.

"I told you, I only care for myself," said Vastal. "And Viskel. You still haven't learned that yet?"

"No," said Tatsumaki. "I don't believe that. You told me what really happened to Secter, you're lenient towards us, all bark but no bite. I get the feeling you don't actually like Silan that much. You don't…you don't really want to do this, do you?"

"You overestimate how much I care."

"I think you _underestimate it,_" said Tatsumaki. "Please…I'm begging you here. We need your help."

Saitama and Metal Bat watched Tatsumaki with shock in their eyes, and Saitama started to walk over towards her.

"You worry for your sister," said Vastal.

"I do," said Tatsumaki. "Please-" She felt hopeful, finally starting to see the cracks in Vastal's shell.

"She's as good as dead," said Vastal. "So is Secter. Give it up, you've lost."

Tatsumaki reached out and grabbed the front of Vastal's armor, her arms straining from rage. Vastal's head tilted back, blinking in shock at Tatsumaki's sudden movement.

"Wait Tatsumaki, don't-" began Saitama, reaching out to pull her back.

"I won't," said Tatsumaki. "Because if I do, I'll end up like _you._"

A low growl seethed forth from behind Vastal's helmet, deep and low, like a predator ready to pounce on its next meal.

"I don't want to see everyone lose themselves," said Tatsumaki, tears burning at the bottoms of her eyes. "I'm tired of seeing all these people living in fear and isolation, I don't want to see anybody die, I won't let them be broken down by that…by that _monster._ I've…seen what manipulation, and isolation, and fear…what it can do to people…and I never want to go back to anything like that again."

Vastal's back muscles tensed as he stretched upwards against the hut. Somehow, looking down at the person before him, tiny against his gigantic armored frame, was making him the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"Well you're in it now," said Vastal. "You're just going to have to get used to it, like I did."

"But…" said Tatsumaki. "It doesn't have to be like this. And you know it."

"You said it yourself to the other heroes," said Vastal. "Sit down, shut up, and follow what Silan and we say."

"That was before my sister was about to die!" said Tatsumaki. "And now Zenko's here…" She glanced back over at Metal Bat, who seemed lost in an ocean of thought.

"I advise you get the hell off of me," said Vastal. "Before I hit you much harder."

Tatsumaki let go of Vastal, taking a step back to stare up at the behemoth of metal in front of her.

"I know you'll feel guilty about this," said Tatsumaki. "I saw it in Sycamore, and I see it in you. I might follow what Silan is telling us to do, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up."

"Trying to rebel against him through me isn't following what he wants."

"Yeah, but I know you won't report this," said Tatsumaki.

Vastal stifled a snort.

"You're really pushing it," said Vastal. "I'm just doing nothing because I don't feel like bothering, but if you keep pushing me…"

"You're doing nothing because you'd prefer to not get us in more trouble."

Vastal bashed his armor against the hut, crossing his arms at Tatsumaki. Dull stains shimmered in the sunlight across his forearms as Vastal watched Tatsumaki wipe at her eyes.

"You all frustrate the hell out of me," said Vastal. "I would say that you would be the first to go-" He pointed at Tatsumaki. "But Silan will want to use you most."

"Use me…" said Tatsumaki. "Use me how? What exactly does he want? Why is he doing all this?"

King, Bang, and Atomic Samurai had walked over to listen, prompting Vastal to shuffle further against the hut, his arms tightening over his body.

"Silan enjoys twisting people, as you probably have guessed," said Vastal. "Why is anyone's guess. He just does what he does, and is damned good at it. Manipulation is his thing, though it's no win in my book just to torture a bunch of broken people."

"See?" said Tatsumaki. "The way you're speaking now, you don't respect him!"

"I follow him," said Vastal. "Because I have nothing else. Don't need much else anyways. He's the one who led me out of the Nothing, and I know how deadly he can be. And I certainly don't need the likes of you or any of your damned cronies to get me in trouble, and get me killed."

"It would be for something much greater, if you helped…" said Saitama. "Come on man, you don't want to see people like Zenko get hurt, don't you?"

Vastal burst forth from the hut, marching past the group to head towards the table. He snarled at Zenko as she looked up at him, causing her to retreat into Metal Bat's arms.

"Stop pestering me about all this," said Vastal. "And accept your fate. That's what we all had to do, would be unfair if you got something different."

"You didn't have to…" said Tatsumaki as she watched him storm off towards the back of the main building. "You still don't have to accept it…"

"Is…is that your plan?" asked Metal Bat to Tatsumaki's back.

Tatsumaki turned around, all too aware of the number of eyes upon her. The wind was cold, and it bit at her skin through her tattered dress.

"That's it," said Tatsumaki. "It's not much, but it's all I've got."

"We're going to…influence his own people, out from under his nose," said Bang as he rubbed his chin. "A sound plan, if Silan's people didn't worship him like a god."

"Not all of them do," said Tatsumaki. "And maybe…maybe Silan knows this. But I think…if we just keep our heads down, and keep trying, we can start to turn them-"

She fell to her knees, tears falling from her eyes once again. The infirmary stood alone not far from her sight, distant and isolated from the rest of the huts. Weeping, Tatsumaki felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up.

"It's gonna be ok, alright?" said Saitama. "Your sis…we'll make sure she's ok. And I'll bet Secter's alright too."

"I…just don't know," said Tatsumaki. "I want this to stop."

"You and me both," said Saitama. "But you got a good plan, was way better than me just trying to punch Silan again."

"Yeah…" said Tatsumaki, sniffling into her sleeve as she got back up. "I guess. Don't…don't try that, just keep your head down for now."

"And what of your sister?" asked Bang. "And Garou?"

"Don't push too much," said King. "She's had a long day."

"There's going to be more of that to come," said Tatsumaki. "There's going to be more."

. . .

Tatsumaki opened her eyes, her face sore as she struggled to adjust to the darkness around her. Pale light leaked through the window next to her, and she flipped up onto her back, blinking amongst the shadows as she wiped a few green curls out from her forehead. Something swinging from the top of the hut caught her eye, and she scrambled to her feet. Her head bumped something small and fuzzy, and Tatsumaki twitched as she stumbled away, looking all around the room as she realized there were objects hanging from every inch of the ceiling by invisible threads.

They were in all directions, one in front, several behind, more hanging from the corners, even more right above her head. Squinting, Tatsumaki could make out the shape of dozens of tennis balls turning in midair, each one marked with thick black writing. As the moon dipped over the horizon and sunlight started to pour through, Tatsumaki could just make out what they all said, surrounding her no matter where she looked.

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

HE'S GONE

It was an assault on her senses and Tatsumaki could barely take it. Placing a hand over her mouth, Tatsumaki became enraged and readied a psychic wave. Her hair starting to glow, Tatsumaki thrust both of her hands down. The tennis balls glowed along with her and flung themselves to the ground, bouncing to chest height before rolling back on the floor into the dark. Tatsumaki violently shook her head at the floor, squeezing her hands into fists as she began to storm towards the door. Outside, Viskel's voice could be heard.

"Get the fuck up everyone!" shouted Viskel. "You're getting less sleep to-daaaaaay!"

Tatsumaki was the first to push her door open, the first beams of orange light blinding her for a second before she spotted Silan, Viskel, and Vastal all crowded around an empty table surrounded by mud. She stopped, standing directly in front of her hut. Scratching at her shoulder, she sighed as she marched on, reaching the other side of the table just as the various other heroes emerged groggy from their huts. Genos was the only other hero outside, his hair soaked from the prior night's rainfall.

"Did you enjoy your sleep?" asked Silan.

"You just do it to torture me," said Tatsumaki. "You like seeing me suffer."

"I like seeing you change more than suffer," said Silan. "But perhaps I do have a bit of a sadistic streak to me…ah well, what can you do." He gave a shrug, which only angered Tatsumaki more. She turned as the rest of the heroes aligned along the table.

"No Zenko?" asked Silan. "Someone bring her out here."

Vastal shook his head, and in an instant, Zenko materialized in front of the table. Her mouth was open as if she was talking to someone moments before, and she snapped it shut at the sight of the towering shadow that was Silan, his tattered garb flowing in the breeze.

"Excellent," said Silan. "I have something that affects all of you, so it is only fair that you are all present."

"What is it?" asked Saitama. Dark circles hung over his eyes as he did his best to glare Silan down.

"Punishment, of course," said Silan. "There was a major infraction the other day, as I'm sure you're all aware…"

Tatsumaki gripped the side of the table, as if to steady herself. She felt like tipping over.

"I have decided to give you all a choice," said Silan. "Garou would be included, but he is too injured to help make the decision for now. You see, you are all a community, a society meant for the benefit of others, and as such, you must bear the burden of pain when it comes time. Of course, your loyalty is to us first, and that brings us to the issue of Tatsumaki breaking the rules."

"Just get on with it," said Metal Bat. His face looked as if it had been splashed with white paint, paler than the early morning clouds which dotted the sky. At any moment the man could've thrown up, and no one would've blamed him.

"Your choice is this," said Silan. "Either we dish out a heavy punishment to Tatsumaki, or a lighter one to everyone but her."

Bang narrowed his eyes as soon as Silan finished his sentence.

_He's…trying to break us apart, _thought Bang. _Is this really your plan, you terrible creature? _

"Heavy…" said Tatsumaki. "What do you mean by that? Are you going to kill my sis?!"

"I will give no details to it," said Silan. "I only leave it to a vote within those present. Take some time to…deliberate, and then come back to me in oh, say, five minutes? Viskel, start the timer."

Viskel whipped out a small watch from behind his back with glee, and pressed a button at the top. The time began.

"Go on," said Silan. "Discuss. We shall wait for you."

He shooed the heroes away from the table, the group forming a circle back over near the huts from which they had emerged earlier. Tatsumaki looked downcast, her voice grave as she began to speak.

"I don't know what he's going to do," said Tatsumaki. "I would take the punishment, but I'm afraid…I'm afraid he'll hurt my sis."

"We're not gonna let you do that," said King. He glanced around the rest of the group. "Right guys?"

"Wasn't really planning on it," said Saitama.

"Depends on the punishment for us…" said Atomic Samurai as he rubbed his chin. "Though God knows that bastard's not gonna tell us what the punishments are."

"He's doing this to break us apart," said Bang. "Start pointing fingers…this is a most manipulative being indeed."

"Well, I don't care what he tries, I'm not letting Tatsumaki take the fall for trying to save her sis," said Saitama.

"Yeah, yeah, I agree," said Metal Bat. "Plus you've been trying to hold us all together Tatsumaki…I can appreciate that."

Tatsumaki sniffled and rubbed at her eye, doing her best not to let tears break through.

"Thanks guys…" she said. "But…I'm worried what he'll do…"

"Well, he probably won't kill us," said Bang. "But I'm also worried…nonetheless, I don't think any of us are going to throw you under the bus. Not like Blast did anyways."

"Fuck Blast," said Saitama.

"Agreed, we can't be like him," said Tatsumaki. "So…is that what we're doing?"

Glances were exchanged and nods were shared. Only Atomic Samurai hesitated.

"Ah…" he began.

Bang shouldered him, enough to send a spike of pain through Atomic Samurai's side.

"Fine, fine!" said Atomic Samurai. "Don't know why we gotta be punished for what Tatsumaki did though…"

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "Don't think like that. We have to be a group now, whether you like it or not. If you start to doubt other people, turn against them…"

Tatsumaki turned back over to Silan, whose grin was spread all the way across his face.

"Then we'll become what he wants," said Tatsumaki.

Vastal eyed the group and began to drag the blade of his machete through his right arm, making no sound as it tore across armor and flesh alike. Viskel frowned at the blood that started to flow from Vastal's wound.

"He's doing it again, I told you you shouldn't do that," said Viskel. "Does it all the time, you're going to ruin your arms Vastal! The famous arms!"

Vastal blinked himself into reality, his mind clouded as he finished tearing through his appendage. Grunting, he set the machete back into his holster and glanced over at Viskel.

"Don't worry about it," said Vastal. "Consider it a bad habit."

"Doesn't it hurt?" asked Viskel.

"You've asked this before," said Vastal. "Barely even feel it."

"Quiet you two," said Silan. "The group is coming to a decision." He tapped his foot on the ground, giddy with excitement.

Saitama looked over at Genos and walked over to the decimated cyborg. Lifting him over his shoulder, he carried Genos over to the group, Genos's face was dark as he stared at the ground.

"Genos is involved too," said Saitama.

"And me!" said Zenko, hiding behind Metal Bat's leg. Metal Bat jumped at her touch, before looking down at her in shock.

"Oh God, I almost forgot," said Metal Bat. "He's…he could hurt Zenko!"

"I will go with whatever master agrees upon," said Genos. "If…if there is a point to me doing so."

"Ah come on Genos, don't give up hope yet," said Saitama. "We could still get out of this…Tatsumaki has a plan at least, and I got some faith in it."

"If you say so master," said Genos. "Even if you were defeated."

"It's Saitama, not master," said Saitama. "And it's alright, we'll figure it out. We always do."

Metal Bat picked Zenko up from the sodden ground below and lifted her to his shoulder, tucking his lips in to form a pained expression.

"Silan!" said Tatsumaki. "Are you…going to hurt Fubuki and Garou as well if we decide not to go with a larger punishment for me? And what about Zenko?"

"Zenko is here, thus she is involved," said Silan. "And was even here during the time of the theft. And Garou and Fubuki…" He chuckled. "Considering their states, it's likely that their punishment will not be bodily harm if you decide to go with the group punishment. Though they too are certainly involved. However, if you decide to go with punishment for yourself, I can no longer make such promise…"

"And if we decide on Tatsumaki getting the punishment-" said Metal Bat.

"Zenko will be spared!" said Silan, raising his arms to his sides as if offering heaven itself to Metal Bat. "Honestly, I had been considering something for her in regards to doling out a punishment to Tatsumaki, but lately I have changed my mind…"

Metal Bat turned back to Tatsumaki and opened his mouth.

"It's ok, I understand," said Tatsumaki.

He closed his mouth.

"Two more minutes!" said Silan. "Keep in mind, this is a majority vote, not a unanimous one. If it were, we'd be here all day! Ha ha ha!"

"That means you'll still be outnumbered," said Bang. "I…I am sorry Metal Bat."

"I'll vote with Metal Bat," said Atomic Samurai. "Who knows what the hell that demon might do. Better one person than all of us."

"But he said lighter for all of us as opposed to Tatsumaki!" said Saitama.

"You really trust that creep?" asked Atomic Samurai. He slapped the palm of one of his hands at Saitama. "A light punishment from him could mean having our insides ripped out! I wouldn't put it past that bastard!"

"It's probably not going to be that," said Saitama. "Come on dude."

"Though…" said Bang. "He could do what he did with Tatsumaki, and have us hurt someone we know…"

"Exactly!" said Atomic Samurai. "Sorry, but it's easier to hurt just one as opposed to everyone."

Metal Bat began to shoulder Zenko as if prompting her to speak. Zenko pouted at his movements.

"Everyone, just listen for a second," said Tatsumaki. "I know…that all of this is unfair, and arbitrary, and cruel, and stupid…"

The group fell silent as Tatsumaki spoke, rare to find a lack of sympathy amongst any of the onlookers.

"But we can't start to blame each other, no matter what happens," said Tatsumaki. "All of this is Silan's fault, always remember that. And…trust me, I would take the punishment if it weren't for my sis, but I can't…I can't lose her. I won't."

No one said anything. No one was sure if they could.

"We have to stick together, as best we can, no matter what happens," said Tatsumaki. "I know it might be surprising to hear something like that from someone like me, but I can tell what this monster's doing and I won't let it happen. It'll destroy us. I don't want that, none of you want that, if Secter were here, he wouldn't want it either. So…whatever happens, just always remember who the real enemy is. Never forget that."

"You're right," said Saitama. "Silan's going to find excuses to do horrible things to us whether we decide for us all to be punished or not. So I'm voting for all of us, Tatsumaki's had enough."

"But…Zenko…" said Metal Bat. "You bastard, you're just going to forget my sister?!"

"I want to vote," said Zenko, a tiny hand clutching at Metal Bat's shirt.

"You tell em Zenko," said Metal Bat.

"I vote Tatsumaki to be ok," said Zenko. "We can take it!"

Metal Bat's face fell, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. His head snapped over towards Zenko.

"What?" he asked. "Are you serious sis?"

"Yep!" said Zenko. "Show em who's boss, Tatsumaki!"

Tatsumaki gave a weak smile. Silan gave a wider one.

"Time's up!" he shouted. "Give us your decision, or you'll all suffer the consequences!"

The group turned over towards Silan, who slammed his hands on the table as he narrowed his eyes at them.

"The results of the vote?" asked Silan. "All in favor for hurting Tatsumaki?"

A sharp breath from Metal Bat. Atomic Samurai raised his hand. Metal Bat raised his as well, half-height and his fingers barely above his greasy hair.

"And those for a lighter group punishment…" said Silan.

Everyone raised their hands save for Atomic Samurai, Metal Bat, and Genos. Genos frowned and squirmed on top of Saitama's shoulder, as if his struggle would add his two cents to the democracy.

"So be it," said Silan. "Oh, so glad to hear, so glad indeed!"

"What the hell are you going to do?" asked Atomic Samurai.

"Watch," said Silan. "Viskel, bring out the injured parties."

Tatsumaki started towards the table, her heart growing colder at every step. As she reached it, Fubuki and Garou materialized at two different seats.

Garou had recovered a decent amount, his eyes bloodshot but his face raised to meet the group. Fubuki was as pale as a mushroom, ghastly and thin. Her breathing was heavy, her dress stained with blotches of red. Despite this, she was alive, which was all Tatsumaki asked for.

"You two," said Silan. "The group here has come to a decision to punish all members aside from Tatsumaki as opposed to badly punishing Tatsumaki. Do you understand?"

Fubuki gave a pathetic nod, more of a twitch than anything. Garou turned towards Silan.

"Wouldn't hurting Fubuki punish Tatsumaki?" asked Garou.

"Certainly," said Silan. "But what I have in mind here…will not be as bad as the alternative for her." He chuckled as he slammed both fists on the table, his eyes gleaming. "Viskel…_I'm in the killing mood!_"

. . .

Lily appeared out of thin air in front of the table, collapsing to her knees as she looked around wildly. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, clods of dirt and soot clinging to both her garments and her face to give her a strangely spotty look. Fubuki leaned forward on the table, resting both her hands on the flat surface as she struggled to speak. Vastal and Viskel exchanged shocked looks, unsure of why she was even here.

"Don't," rasped Fubuki. "Please don't. There's no reason-"

"You all accepted this," said Silan. "You all did this, whether you know it or not. Now, Miss Lily, would you prefer to die or everyone else in your Blizzard group?"

"What the hell?!" asked Saitama. "This isn't light punishment!"

"Keep quiet or I'll bring along another," said Silan. "Fubuki was heavily implicated in the plot against me, and I'll do as I please." A thin film of saliva coated Silan's voice as he spoke. "Now choose child."

"Don't make her do this," Fubuki breathed. "She's just a kid…"

"Human trash," said Silan. "Oh, how I've waited…"

"Where am I?" asked Lily, glancing around to look at the group before finally turning to see Fubuki leaning over the table. "Miss Fubuki! You're ok!"

"Lily…" said Fubuki.

Tatsumaki stepped forward in front of Lily, as if her body would shield her from Silan's sadistic grin.

"Why," said Tatsumaki. "Why do you do this. Why is there any need for this?! Lily wasn't even here, she's not even a part of…our society."

Tatsumaki found herself being flung to the ground by an invisible force, her head banging against the dirt as she moved too slow to collect herself. Silan shook his head.

"Sometimes one must have…extra judicial powers," said Silan, his mouth a waterfall of saliva. "Now stay out of the way, it's time for reckoning. I do this…because I _can._"

Vastal crossed his scarred arms and looked over at Silan.

"Tatsumaki has a point though," he said. "At this point, why not just kill them all."

"Yeah, I was wondering that," said Viskel. "I mean…I know you have great plans and all…" Viskel shrunk to the height of the table at Silan's incoming glare. "But…but…I'm not sure what's happening most of the time…or why we're even here…"

"I would expect such behavior from you, dog," said Silan. "But Vastal? You're the smartest of my followers, I would think you to understand. We finally got out of the Nothing, back to the place where we have ultimate power with no barriers. And you wish to stop this? Remember friends, I am God, I brought you to a place where things are much better. And I will make these degenerates before us twist and suffer, for they deserve little else." He turned back to the group, dark veins bulging out from his neck as he strained his body over the table.

_They're questioning him, _thought Tatsumaki. _They're questioning him! This is big, this could be our chance!_

Tatsumaki rose to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her clothes. Lily began to sidle over to Tatsumaki, hiding behind her as Tatsumaki stepped towards the table.

"You're really the only one who cares Silan," said Tatsumaki. "About hurting us. Viskel doesn't want to, Vastal doesn't want to. I can tell they're tired of all this. So you should just give it up, stop hurting us just for your fucking enjoyment, and get the hell out-"

A hole opened in Tatsumaki's chest, ripping and tearing until it encompassed her torso from one end to the other. Blood and tendons dripped down from her insides yet the organs were somehow missing, a gaping wound in Tatsumaki's chest absent any normal anatomy. The wind picked up and blew some of her blood through onto the table, and Silan reared back behind him as a steel rod appeared in his hand. Snarling, he tossed the bar through Tatsumaki's wound, the spear finding Lily in the chest and piercing through her to send her sprawling to the ground. As the weapon caught Lily, Tatsumaki's wound closed and healed back to her normal state. Tatsumaki clutched at her chest, still eying the blood that dotted the wood in front of her. Collapsing to her knees, she hyperventilated into the air, eyes bulging from their sockets. Somehow she felt fine yet so far from okay at the same time.

"From one heart to another," said Silan. "Though I feel you knew about that already."

"Lily…" said Fubuki, shrinking down in her seat. She was beyond despair. "Sis…"

"Your sister will live," said Silan. "Her organs are back in place."

The group clamored around Lily, Bang lifted her up to a sitting position, the spear extending a foot out from Lily's chest all the way to the earth behind her. A small pool of blood marred where the spear had entered her body, and she coughed, her teeth stained red. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she looked over at Fubuki, who was sobbing over the table. Fubuki's thin frame shuddered at Lily's look.

"Miss…" said Lily. "Fubuki…help…"

"Lily," said Fubuki. "Someone help, someone please help…"

Vastal shifted near the table, scratching at his arms. He looked down at the bleeding girl, his head feeling heavy. He wanted to rest.

Viskel did the same. It only made him shiver a little.

_She's no Soulless fighter, _thought Viskel. _She's just small, they're all so small…_

Bang covered the blood flowing out from the entry wound with his hands while King looked on in horror. Saitama gripped the other end of the spear but shook his head when Genos told him "no."

"That will make it worse master," said Genos. "She…is gone."

"You monster!" said Garou. "You goddamned monster!"

"A real one like me," said Silan. "Welcome to our world, little ones. You'll find no solace in calling out the cruelties of the void. It never responds."

Bang let out a cry as Lily's face went white, her breathing slowed to harsh little stutters. The palms of his hands were drenched with blood as he reeled away from Lily. Metal Bat shoved Zenko behind his back, taking a step away from the rest of the group behind Saitama.

_He threw it…too fast…too fast for anyone to even react, _thought Genos. _What are these beings? Why do they act they way they do, with such power? They could do anything else, yet here they are…_

"She's…she's gone," said Bang, cradling Lily's head. He held her close. "This poor girl."

Fubuki had slumped over the table, her face ashen. There was no light in her eyes, the world having gone black for her. Tatsumaki rose to her feet again, shaking from the earlier attack. She stumbled towards the table and Silan turned away as she did so.

"I need to collect myself," said Silan, grinning like a madman. "Must calm down to find more…interesting ways to punish the rest." He started to stalk towards the cathedral at the center, chuckling and snickering all the way. "The looks in their eyes! They know who is in charge. And they all know this won't end!" He stopped short as he reached the center of the courtyard, standing in place.

"Sis…" said Tatsumaki. She reached over the table even as Viskel eyed her, and she placed a hand on Fubuki's back. Fubuki didn't react, a corpse in her seat. "Sis?"

"I think…she passed out," said Garou. "From all she's been through." He rose from the table, shaking his hands out as if they had been soaked in water. "Damn Silan, was keeping me in the chair with some kind of power." He gasped when he saw Lily lying dead in Bang's arms. "He's a fucking monster!"

"He's going to kill us all…" said Atomic Samurai. "Did you see how he was looking at us? He's going to kill us all!"

Tatsumaki pulled Fubuki from the chair and held her, wrapping her arms around her sister in a tired embrace. Hatred boiled up from the very depths of her soul as she spotted Silan contemplating in the main courtyard.

"Did you feel that earlier?" Viskel asked Vastal. "I think someone tried to nullify Silan…"

"Greidhof," said Vastal.

"Oh great, now he's going to come here," said Viskel.

"That reminds me!" said Silan from the courtyard. "Come with me Viskel, you've got some calls to answer in the comms room. And Vastal, make sure the human gets buried according to standards. I…I need to settle down and contemplate some things, can't just go killing everyone just yet. Ah, the moods I get in…"

Viskel groaned as he dragged himself away from the table, following Silan as the two of them entered the main building looming overhead. They vanished into Silan's castle, back into the silence from which Silan dwelled.

The group remained clustered around Lily, no one sure what to do with her aside from hold her. Fubuki gave a little cough as her eyes fluttered back open, immediately beginning to cry into Tatsumaki's shoulder. Tatsumaki couldn't help but let the tears flow too.

"Lily…" said Fubuki, her voice inaudible to all but Tatsumaki. "Why…why…why?!"

"Sis…" said Tatsumaki. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not you…" said Fubuki. "It's him, that _monster_."

"We have to remember that," said Tatsumaki. "Can't let him break us down."

"He could do anything to us by this point!" said Atomic Samurai, crying out to the sky. "He did this on purpose, lost control on purpose! He's scaring us!"

"Tried to blame us…" said Bang. "He's…training us."

Saitama stared down at Lily in shock, letting go of the spear which had impaled her.

"Master, what do we do?" asked Genos.

"I don't know," said Saitama. "I wasn't expecting this."

Tatsumaki glared up at Vastal, the only remaining person around the table. He was busy staring down at the blood Tatsumaki had splashed onto the platform.

"You," said Tatsumaki. "You're worse than him."

Vastal turned over at Tatsumaki, his helmet hiding any sign of an expression.

"You just let it all happen," said Tatsumaki. "You could've killed Silan, right then and there."

"I-" said Vastal. He went quiet.

"It's going to get worse, isn't it?" asked Tatsumaki. "That's all Silan is, isn't he? Just a fucking psychopath who won't rest until we're all dead or broken. Is that what you want Vastal? Is that what you _fucking want?!_"

"I…" said Vastal. "It doesn't matter to me…" His voice lacked any semblance of confidence. He was truly as lost as he was back up in the Nothing.

"That's bullshit…" said Tatsumaki, dipping her head and leaning it into Fubuki's chest. "It's bullshit…"

Vastal stared at the two sisters before letting out a small sigh. Glancing back at the main building, he sat down in a nearby chair and stretched his arms over the table. He hadn't felt this tired in years.

"Look," said Vastal. "I will level with you."

Tatsumaki looked up. Her face was stained with tears, her eyes full of hate, and she held Fubuki close to protect her from the world. She hated Vastal with all her heart, and her look just made Vastal's stomach shrivel.

"This is what Silan does, this is his element," said Vastal. "He-"

"I don't care why he does what he does anymore," said Tatsumaki. "I just want him dead."

"Well…at least you know you can't reason with him," said Vastal. "But this is what he enjoys, and what he'll do. Probably the main, perhaps only thing he is good at. Enjoys it too much, I would say."

"He just killed Lily and smiled at it," said Tatsumaki. "You follow him."

"If I had to guess, this will end with most, if not all of you dead," said Vastal. "He says he likes the change more, but I've seen more than my fair share of his prisoners or even his followers just end up all dead in the end one way or another. He'll drive you all into madness or into oblivion, one or the other."

"It doesn't have to be like that," said Tatsumaki. "Sounds like if you keep following him, you'll end up dead too."

"It is what it is," said Vastal. "Though I have no intention of following him for too much longer. Viskel and I will bolt one day once Silan doesn't have much use for us."

Tatsumaki squeezed Fubuki harder. Fubuki let out a soft moan as she stared at the ground, not daring to look up.

"But as you saw, for all his big talk, Silan isn't much more than your average psychopath," said Vastal. "Just won over some people who had nothing. And clearly…he's not the best leader."

"You keep talking like it's the end," said Tatsumaki. "Like it's out of your hands, there's nothing you can do. And that's wrong. I hate to say it, but you're our only hope right now. Please Vastal, I'm begging you to help, however you can. This doesn't have to keep going like it is."

Metal Bat stepped forward, as did Atomic Samurai.

"What the hell is he going to do next?" asked Atomic Samurai.

"My sis…" said Metal Bat. "You gotta promise to protect my sis…"

"I'll give no damned promises," snarled Vastal. "And I don't know what Silan will do. Honestly depends if he can get back in his normal mood or not. More than likely, more people will die."

"I can't," said Metal Bat. "I can't let that happen. I have to fight, I have to escape, I can't sit around anymore, I'll fight or die trying!"

"You'll be frozen to the ground, and all you'll do is amuse Silan or piss him off," said Vastal. "Neither is good for you."

"But we have to do _something_," said Tatsumaki. "I'm tired of just sitting around and having things happen-"

"Best you could do, and best you are doing, is sticking together as a group," said Vastal. "What you've been pushing for, Tatsumaki. Though, you becoming a leader of sorts…is what Silan wants."

"I…don't care what he wants," said Tatsumaki. "I'll do my best for everyone."

Vastal stared at Tatsumaki for a long time, the air still and cold between them. Finally, he let out a sigh.

"I wish you luck," said Vastal.

"Stop talking like you can't help!" said Tatsumaki. "I know it's in you, I know you want to!"

Vastal rose from the table and walked over to where Lily lay. Fubuki clutched Tatsumaki's shoulders as he neared the fallen girl.

"Don't let him near her," gasped Fubuki. "Don't let him anywhere near her!"

Vastal pushed Bang aside and lifted Lily up from the ground, Saitama stepping in to challenge him. Vastal turned his back to him.

"No sense leaving her out here," said Vastal. "It's time for her to go."

"She didn't have to die," said Fubuki. "She died for no reason…"

"Was to get to you," said Vastal. "Always is."

The group followed Vastal over to the other side of the main building, a single stick marking where Mumen Rider's grave was. Tatsumaki let Fubuki slump against her back and began to walk after everyone else, expecting to be burdened by Fubuki's weight but growing nervous as she found her walk barely even slowed. Tatsumaki made it to where the group was just in time to spot Vastal reaching a hand over the spear in Lily and having it dissipate to dust.

"She seemed nice," said Vastal. "Shame."

"You could've stopped it," snarled Fubuki. "Don't go trying to get our sympathies."

"Sis…" said Tatsumaki. She spoke to Fubuki in a low voice. "He's all we have right now."

"I don't care, I hate him," said Fubuki. "You hear that? I hate you! I hate all of you!"

She let out a wet cough, followed by several gurgling attempts to clear her throat.

The earth parted in front of Vastal to create a hole, stretching further and further down until the bottom went dark. Vastal leaned down and began to set Lily into the grave.

"Be gentle," said Bang.

"I know," said Vastal. "This isn't the first time I've had to bury someone."

Lily was laid at the bottom of the grave, and Vastal stepped aside.

"If anyone wants to look, now is their last chance," he said.

Fubuki started to sob again, tears dropping down the front of Tatsumaki's dress. Tatsumaki pulled her shaking sister over to the grave, watching as the tears began to flow within the abyss in which Lily lay.

_This is so wrong, _thought Saitama, Genos still slumped over his shoulder. _Tatsumaki better be right about Vastal helping us, or Silan could kill us all…_

Fubuki sniffled as she looked down. Lily's face was pale, her mouth open slightly as if to express surprise at seeing the people up above. Her eyes were closed, and a small amount of blood still flowed from her mouth.

"I love you Lily," said Fubuki. "I never got to tell you, but you were like a little sister to me…"

Vastal shuddered. Tatsumaki noticed.

"I'm so sorry…" said Fubuki. "So sorry I couldn't help you…"

"It's not your fault sis," said Tatsumaki. "Don't let this eat you, this is Silan's fault."

"Please," said Fubuki. "Please, just. Don't mention his name. He doesn't care about any of this, he doesn't think we're even people." Fubuki turned away from the grave. "I need…I need to lie down, I can't take this right now."

"So be it," said Vastal. "Anyone else? No? Alright."

He swept both of his hands together, and the earth around the grave was pushed into the hole, filling it completely. Lily vanished from sight forever. Vastal dropped his hands to his sides and two sticks grew from the center of the grave, jutting out from the earth like lonely buildings in a brown field.

"An actual gravestone…" said Fubuki. "They both need actual gravestones…"

Vastal walked past the group, marching right towards the table again. Metal Bat reached out for him as he was walking, but Vastal brushed right on by.

"What about my sis?" asked Metal Bat. "Are you going to help us?"

"I'll see what I can do," said Vastal. "Do not get your hopes up."

. . .

Secter wrapped another bandage around Sycamore's torso, biting off the end as the gauze came to a stop above Sycamore's chest. Setting the end of the bandage down onto Sycamore's bloodied shirt, Secter sighed and rubbed at his own wounds, many of them covered by glowing gauze.

_We're a fucking mess, _thought Secter. _Can barely stand…what if…what if we get stuck up here for months? Years? Decades?!_

"Secter," said Sycamore. "I need to tell you something."

Secter was jolted from his thoughts. He was glad of it, honestly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Sycamore glanced back at Koros, who was preoccupied with wrapping his own wounds over by the speedbikes, alone.

"It was something Koros said," said Sycamore. His voice grew low as he spoke, placing a hand over his chest as if it would steady his breathing. "He talked about leaving you behind if you didn't show up."

"What?" asked Secter. The clouds of exhaustion in his brain were giving way to bright but short storms of rage. "The fuck? Why?"

"He said you were probably dead or went the wrong way and we'd never see you again," said Sycamore. "And that we should just bandage up and get the hell out if you took too long. Said he was worried about being caught, about more artillery and losing the bikes."

Secter was already on the verge of collapse. Though his anger was building, he couldn't act on it. He shuddered as he slid to the ground, too tired to bother.

"Fucking asshole," said Secter. "I couldn't find where you guys went, I tried digging in the pile to look for you and calling for you guys, but the explosions and all the people…I didn't know where to go."

"Honestly I only found Koros through luck," said Sycamore. "Even then, got shot a bunch. And…thanks for getting those bandages back, I think I was on the edge of the death for a moment there before you got them."

"You needed them," said Secter. "So I did what I had to do."

"You sound like you just committed a crime," said Sycamore, perplexed.

"The bandages were the auctioneer's, that was his guard."

"Ah…well…I'm afraid we'll just have to live with that."

"Yeah."

A moment of uncomfortable silence for Sycamore. Truthfully, while he disliked stealing from people, and hated to put Secter in more danger, if it wasn't for what Koros did, he would likely be dead.

"Well, what's the plan then?" asked Sycamore. "Do we leave Koros?"

"As much of an asshole he is, and as many problems he's caused, we kind of need him. Especially if he has experience in getting out of this place, and since he's pledged to help fight Silan. We don't know how many people Silan has."

"Ugh, just keeps getting more and more hopeless…"

"We have to do the best we can. And honestly, I try…I try not to think about it. Though it's hard…" Secter squinted, his gut twisting and turning as his eyes burned. "Hard not to think of all that's gone wrong, what can still go wrong…"

"I'm trying…to be more optimistic," said Sycamore. "Apologies for me not being able to help so much."

"No, no, I don't blame you for feeling hopeless," said Secter. "This place is an absolute nightmare for me to come back to too, and I can't stop worrying about Tatsu and everyone else…That battlefield we just passed was way too familiar to me…"

"Everything's changed but nothing has changed," said Sycamore. "The Soulless way."

"Oi, you two!" shouted Koros through a mouthful of fabric. "We're gonna hit the road soon, before any of those goons with their fake flags show up. We can take the speedbikes, but be damned careful with em. See that?" He pointed to Secter's speedbike, the tip still missing from Secter's near brush with death earlier. "That could be much worse if you take so much as a bit of a wrong turn. So no full speed alright?"

"If we knew which way the universe was…" said Sycamore. "And if no one spotted us if we tried to go down the paths…"

"Unfortunately we don't," said Koros. "And even more unfortunate, there's no telling who the hell is lurking around. Whatever freak show we run into next."

"Yes, I know," said Sycamore. "But…I'm feeling desperate…"

"Ah, we'll get out," said Koros.

"It's not me I'm most worried about," said Sycamore.

"Eh," said Koros. "Best to focus on what's ahead then."

Secter gave a nasty look over to Koros as he rose from his seat. He still couldn't believe the bastard had suggested leaving him behind.

"So I guess we need to move," said Secter. "Especially in my case, eh?"

"I mean, unless you want to get shot at by artillery again," said Koros. He felt his heart skip a beat but ignored the comment.

"No," snapped Secter. "No I do not."

Koros raised his hands in the air, jerking his head back in an irritated gesture.

"Well alright then, don't get snippy with me, I wasn't the one shooting," said Koros.

"Let's just go, need some damned rest," said Secter.

"I…don't know how well I'll be able to drive," said Sycamore. "Hard to even…get up."

"Then ride on the back of Secter's bike," said Koros. "Too risky to have you driving on narrow fucking paths if you're about ready to keel over." He glanced back at Secter and Sycamore. Their wounds worried him, and he wondered if they'd even make it another day.

Secter turned around and reached behind him, Sycamore grabbing his hand and hoisting himself over Secter's back. Secter grunted as he dragged Sycamore over to the nearest bike. Twisting, Secter started to set Sycamore onto the back of the speedbike, holding Sycamore's waist and gripping his shirt through slippery yellow spots. Laying back on the bike, Secter took the front seat and felt Sycamore slump against his back again.

"You gonna be alright Sycamore?" asked Secter. He was even more worried than Koros, his arms turning numb at Sycamore's dead weight behind him.

"I'll be ok," said Sycamore. "Just weak. Can still shoot, if need be."

"Alright," said Secter. "Which way are we headed? You even know Koros?"

"Not back," said Koros. "That's all that matters."

_You don't have a fucking plan, do you, _thought Secter. _Why do I get the feeling this guy is just using us to keep himself alive?_

Koros clambered atop one of his speedbikes, grumbling as he clutched his side. Sighing, he turned the handlebars and the vehicle hummed to life, while Secter did the same for his. Both Koros and Secter pulled out of the row of speedbikes and drove ahead on the path, keeping in a straight line and following the road at every twist and turn.

The two speedbikes ran across a single path through the Nothing, both of them adorned by exhausted and battered riders. Koros glanced from side to side as he drove, as if a group of attackers could leap out of the Nothing and blast him away at any time. Secter's bike took the lead, the path seeming to stretch on forever with no real destination. Then, a trumpet blared off on the distance, on Secter's right.

"The hell?" asked Secter. He peered to his side, spotting a path that veered away into the Nothing. Reaching the beginning of it, he looked over to see it slope upwards to a black hill, dark flakes drifting off of it into the air. It stretched on like a massive slug along the ground, and Secter stared as he listened to the sounds of a marching band tear through the air from the other side of the hill.

"What…is that?" asked Secter.

Red and blue confetti blasted off from behind the mound, sparkling and fluttering through the air before seesawing back down out of sight. Secter blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"You're not crazy," said Sycamore. "I think I know what that is."

Koros pulled up behind Secter, one hand on his forehead.

"Ugh," said Koros. "Already getting a headache, and then those trumpets blare? What the hell even is that?"

"You want to go see?" asked Sycamore. "If it is what I think it is, then it's quite a sight."

"No, I do not," said Koros. "Unless they have a way out of here, then I want nothing to do with em."

"Not to mention we're almost out of bandages," said Secter, pointing to the box Koros had tucked under his arm. "If we get hurt again…"

"No, no, it's fine," said Sycamore. "Come, let's go look. I always liked visiting them."

Koros raised an eyebrow, his face scrunching in confusion. Secter looked back at Sycamore with apprehension.

"I promise, it'll be worth it," said Sycamore, one arm resting around Secter while the other lay clutched to his chest. "A nice break from all the madness."

"Uh, alright, if you say so," said Secter.

"Oh come on," said Koros. "First I get the old headaches back, now this? Ugh, why is this happening now, takes so damn long for the withdrawal to kick in…"

Secter pivoted the speedbike, frowning as the vehicle stuttered and shook as he twisted the handlebars. Finally he got it pointing in the right direction, Koros shaking his head at him.

"Need some help?" asked Koros. "To…turn? How the hell can you not even turn."

"Been a while," said Secter. "And shut it, I don't want to hear much more from you."

"Well alright, get snippy then," said Koros. "Fucks' sakes."

Secter sped forward, hoping in part that Koros wouldn't follow. He received no such luck, and the two speedbikes hovered over the ashy cliff, spraying black specks off in their wake as they reached the top of the mound. Secter narrowed his eyes as he finally saw the spectacle down below.

It was a parade, Soulless dancing and running alongside several colorful floats adorned with confetti and construction paper. A massive model building shuddered as it was forced along the way by the motorized float underneath it, a cluster of grey hexagonal columns like any other normal Soulless building. Trumpeters and drummers played underneath the statue, while shouting and smiling Soulless followed along, a few of them clutching their own makeshift instruments out of grey metal. A confetti cannon went off, causing Secter to flinch as the air was showered with colorful shreds again. None of the Soulless paid Secter or Koros any mind as they went along their way, a passing march of happiness in between two flaky hills.

"What…is this?" asked Secter.

"Celebration," said Sycamore, his head heavy against Secter's back. "The Peace Parade. Every month I think, a bunch of Soulless gather to celebrate the end of the war and invite others to stop fighting. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not. It's always…nice to see though."

"So," said Koros. "That war ended years ago, and they're still on about it."

"That war killed untold millions," said Secter. "That war was what ruined everything, and for what? These people should be celebrating that it's over, even if…it doesn't fully seem like it."

"Yeah they're all gonna die," said Koros. "Waste of time."

He swiveled his speedbike and started back down the slope, while Secter glared after him.

"Don't worry about him, he doesn't take joy in anything," said Sycamore. "He's got no goals, don't know how he cares about survival so much when he's got nothing."

"Beats me," said Secter. "If he weren't as much of a violent asshole maybe I'd try to see things more from his view, but what he says…totally disgusts me."

"Goes against what I've seen from you for sure," said Sycamore. "But he's still helping for now…" He stared down at the passing parade. "Though this…this I think is nice."

"Yeah…" said Secter. "Nice to see some Soulless actually happy for once."

"Well they are appreciated here," said Sycamore. "By other people. I always stopped by if I could to see this parade, hell I even spoke at the float sometimes about what I was gonna do when I got out of this place, but I guess I didn't truly understand how nice it was to have actual friends until I got to your planet." Sycamore sighed as he lifted his head from Secter's back. "I miss Fubuki."

"I'm sure she misses you too."

"You sure? The last we met…I had threatened to destroy the earth."

"No, the last you were with her you were helping defend me and everyone else from Silan. She really does view you as a friend, she reached out to you even when Tatsu and I were nervous to do so."

"She did say that I would be fun to hang out with," said Sycamore. "Sweet of her, all that shit I did and she still reached out. And yet, I was too stubborn to understand how nice it would all be…seeing you all at the house though, and the talk I had with her at the café…I think that changed things a bit."

"Was nice to see all that huh," said Secter. "Fucking hell, I miss it so much."

"Well it might not be gone," said Sycamore. "We can't keep thinking that."

"I know. I know." Secter watched as the back end of the parade drew near. "I…just hope I can come back and be the same person Tatsu loved in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"I…I don't know, this place changes you. Like…earlier, when I was going after that guy who stole our bandages, all I wanted was to see him dead. Felt so much hate for someone I didn't even know, it…reminded me too much of old times. And the bandages were his in the first place anyways."

"Oh. Well…as much as I hate to say it, there's a lot of hateable people out here, and you might have to brush things aside in order to get something done."

"Yeah, but how much? How much will I have to put aside?"

"Just…keep true to yourself. I honestly think that if Koros can't figure out what the hell to do, then you can lead us out of here. I have faith in you…you're uh, you're a man of high class."

Secter chuckled.

"Just like old times eh," he said. "But I really hope so."

"I think you can," said Sycamore. "And we should go, find a place to rest."

"Yeah, you could really use some."

"We all could."

Secter pivoted the speedbike around after giving one last look to the parade, the final members of which were fading into the horizon by now. He rocketed off back down the slope and back to the intersection where Koros was waiting.

"Well, while you two were busy gawking at trumpeters, I found us a little spot to rest," said Koros. "Give time for the bandages to do their work."

"Oh," said Secter. "Well…good work then I guess."

Koros just shook his head. Secter followed him along as he drove down a branching side-path from the main route, following a dark road as it grew wider and wider and eventually turned to a clearing with several ruined buildings on both sides. The buildings had silver and purple streaks over the walls, the roofs coated in dust and light and various crumbling holes adorning almost every inch of the structures, as if they had been targeted for execution by giants. Koros pulled up to the first building before getting off of his speedbike. Making his way over to a door, he pushed it out of the way to get inside. Secter parked next to Koros's speedbike, and swung himself off of the cushions. Sycamore grappled onto Secter's shoulders and dragged his feet along as Secter brought him inside.

The interior of the building was a mess of rubble, piles of steel and rock drowning out the corners of the area. Koros sat in a little enclave where the rubble remained raised over the floor, yawning as he sat down with the tiny box next to his leg.

"Alright, guess I'll take first watch," said Koros. "Sycamore needs rest the most."

Secter laid Sycamore down in the enclave next to Koros, frowning as he watched Sycamore wince himself into a laying down position.

"Didn't think the Nothing had become quite this bad…" said Secter. "Yet it's even worse than when I was here."

"Get used to it," said Koros. "And you can get some sleep-" Koros bolted upright, towering over the enclave and glaring at something behind Secter. Ripping his pistol out, Secter whipped around to see a single Soulless standing in the doorway, a small grey rectangle in his hand.

"Get the hell out," snarled Koros. "Before I smash your head in."

The Soulless raised his hands up to his chest, taking a small step back.

"Sorry," he said. "Was just looking for a place to stay. You guys looked like a friendly lot, so-"

"We aren't," said Koros. "Beat it."

"Wait," said Secter as the Soulless started to back off. "You from the parade?"

"I am," he said. "Just looking for a place to stay. Dangerous to sleep alone. You…want me to play you some tunes? I have my harmonica, I hear it lifts spirits."

"No," said Koros. "Don't encourage him, Secter." Koros's eyes were stained yellow, dark crimson veins running all along his sclera. The other Soulless stepped back at seeing his expression, far too much hate to be contained within any one person.

"Why not let him stay a bit?" asked Secter. "He doesn't look like he means any harm."

"Are you serious?" asked Koros. "You're going to invite a damned stranger in."

"The last time you were an ass to a stranger, they nearly got me killed," said Secter. "Just let him stay, if just for a bit."

"Oh, thank you, thank you," said the stranger. "Been separated from my pals after a rough patch, been looking for a place to rest where I wouldn't have to sleep with one eye open."

Koros cranked his head towards Secter, inching and inching around until his eyes rested on Secter's. They exchanged looks, and for the briefest of moments, the stranger felt like running was about to become the best option.

"Let him stay…" groaned Sycamore. "Like the music, will help us sleep…"

"No," said Koros as he rubbed his head. It pounded back at him, as if trying to compete with his frantic rubbing. "Just gonna make my headache worse."

"I can be quiet," said the musician. "I'll…I'll rest out here for you want."

"Out in the street?" asked Secter. "Look, it's fine, you can rest in here for a bit."

"Really?" asked the musician. "Can I?"

"Holy fucking shit," said Koros. "Fine. _Fine_. You try anything though, and you'll be dead so fast my so-called _companions_ here won't even goddamned notice."

"Yeah well, you're not the greatest companion yourself either," said Secter. "Come on in! Sit down!"

"Yeah, have a seat," said Sycamore, his eyes half-closed and voice swimming in drowsiness. "Play…play a song…"

"Sure thing!" said the musician. He walked over to the wall and plopped down against it before raising his harmonica to his mouth.

"Oh for the love of-" said Koros.

The first note of the harmonica echoed throughout the room, metallic and harsh. Before long, a melody was blown, the musician tilting his head from side to side as he played. Secter nodded, sleepiness starting to overtake his mind as he laid down in the enclave next to Sycamore and Koros. They found the song relaxing, with even Koros finding it soothed his head.

"Ugh, get some rest then," said Koros. "But I'll be watching you, harmonica boy."

The musician paid him no mind, only merrily playing along.

"Wake me when it's my turn to watch," said Secter. "I'll…I'll go next." He yawned between his words, collapsing down and closing his eyes to the joyous tunes of the harmonica.

"Fine," muttered Koros.


	6. Chapter 6

Secter sat up, rubbing at his eyes as he yawned. Tearing his fists away to clear his vision, he winced at he rested his arm down on his aching leg.

"Koros…" he muttered. "Is it my turn to watch?"

He looked over at Koros, who was snoring soundly with his back turned to him. Raising an eyebrow, Secter glanced all around the room. It was empty save for his companions.

"Koros," said Secter, nudging Koros in the back. "You awake?"

Koros snorted, jolting upwards and glaring back over at Secter before settling down. Face heavy with sleep, Koros scratched the side of his head before proceeding to massage his temples.

"Ugh," said Koros. "Head still hurts. Did I…did I fall asleep? How on earth did I manage to do that with that harmonica asshole playing. Where is that guy anyways?"

"Wasn't…that…bad," grumbled Sycamore, still half-asleep on the floor.

Secter placed his hand down to the side of him to ready himself to get up. To his surprise, there was nothing there but a dirtied slip of paper. Sliding the sheet along the floor, Secter brought it up to his face. In bold, black letters, a single word was scrawled on the paper.

SORRY

Secter looked down at where the paper had once been at the same time that Koros did. Koros dropped his arms to his sides when he realized that the box was gone.

"Are…are you serious?" asked Koros. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"What…" said Sycamore, tossing himself over towards the voice. "What is it."

"The harmonica bastard, he took the bandages!" said Koros. "You. _You_." Koros jabbed a finger at Secter, poking him in the shoulder. Secter shuffled away from the touch, a burning sensation overcoming his brain as he narrowed his eyes.

"This is your fault," said Koros. "You let that asshole in here, and guess what? The next time any of us gets hurt, it's gonna be game over. We're already wounded, and any more than that and you can kiss your ass goodbye. All because of _you._"

"You were supposed to wake me up to keep watch for one!" said Secter. "And you agreed to let the guy stay, you stupid bastard!"

"I was outvoted!" protested Koros.

"I didn't realize you were a democratic sort of guy, considering what you wanted to do with me earlier," said Secter. "I couldn't cast a vote if I wasn't _there._"

"Sycamore you dumbass," said Koros. "I told you not to mention that, it was only an emergency measure. Now he fuckin knows, and it just makes everything worse."

"I told him…" said Sycamore, groaning as he rose to a sitting position. "Because I still don't fully trust you yet…Secter needed to know."

"Secter just got us killed," said Koros. "You're lucky we don't leave your stupid ass right now. Oh what's that Secter? You want to be nice to people? Oh, look where that got us!"

"You agreed to it!" said Secter. "And you fell asleep when you said you'd wake me! This is just as much your fault as it is mine!"

"Ah, we're gonna die out here," said Koros. "Fuckin knew it. Knew that's how I'd go for a long time. Just wish it were with some smarter people."

Secter's eyes flared in rage, his teeth grinding together and his breath catching in his chest. Slamming both hands on the ground, he rose to his feet, balling his fingers into fists as he glared down at Koros.

"Oh, what's this?" asked Koros. "You want to go, you son of a bitch? Because we can go, right fucking now!" He stomped himself up to his feet, glaring down at Secter.

"Guys, stop," said Sycamore, his head swimming in pain as he rubbed at his chest. Several of his bandages were drenched yellow by now, and he felt like vomiting as he tried to rise to his feet. "Fighting will just make things worse."

Secter's gaze softened as he turned towards Sycamore. Reaching out, he steadied Sycamore as he finally managed to climb to his feet. Koros crossed his arms at the both of them.

"Well…what's the plan now," said Sycamore.

"There is no plan," said Koros. "We look for a ship, or people who have one, and that's it. If we're lucky, we'll actually find the edge of the universe or some other way to get there. More than likely, we're going to die."

"Just the other day you kept telling us not to worry," said Secter. "That you've done this all before."

"I have," said Koros. "But this is the worst it's ever been, and I've been in some rough fuckin situations. Honestly just wanted you two to show up, cause…fuck!"

He clutched at his head, neck reeling down as he doubled over. The roaring pain had returned to his skull again.

"Ugh…" said Koros. "Getting it bad this time…"

Secter sighed. He let go of Sycamore for a moment, his fingers hovering near his friend's shoulder in case Sycamore should start to fall. As Sycamore walked forward, Secter turned back to Koros.

"Look," said Secter. "I know things seem bad now, but Sycamore's right, there's no need to fight."

"Whatever," said Koros. "We should get moving again."

"And I…apologize," said Secter. "For getting heated. I made a mistake, though I think we both have blame in this."

"Great," said Koros. "Let's go. No mood to talk now."

"Give me a second," said Sycamore, his back hunched over as he shuffled away from the enclave. Secter frowned at Sycamore as he clutched the wilting bandages closer to his chest, sticky yellow strands peeling off of Sycamore's skin and onto the bandages as they threatened to fall off of his wounds. Noticing Secter's look, Sycamore gave a small smile. "I'll be alright, just doesn't look nice."

"Mmhmm," said Secter. "Don't worry Sycamore, we'll find something."

"Ok," said Sycamore. He wanted to believe Secter, but still had a hard time with it.

The three of them headed outside, Koros half-expecting to find the speedbikes gone as well. Despite his fears, the vehicles were still there, sitting outside the building in their normal spots, sleek and shiny as ever. Koros grunted as he climbed atop his, while Secter and Sycamore resumed their typical spots on their own.

"So," said Secter. "Any idea on which way to go?"

"Forward," muttered Koros. He felt like splitting his head open so he could scoop out the sections of his brain which were on fire, every rub at his skull only serving to push the flames to a different part of his mind. Groaning, Koros pulled out from the building and turned around to fly forward, Secter and Sycamore scrambling to catch up behind him.

They drove on lonely paths for what felt like hours, only slowing to see a group of haggard Soulless pass them by with little in the way of acknowledgement from them. Koros glared them down as they went, and Secter eyed them with only a tad less suspicion. Moving on, Sycamore peeled a few bandages off of him and tossed them into the Nothing, grimacing at the half-closed wounds that streaked across his body. A few still oozed blood down his ruined shirt, and he sighed as he watched the path fly by as the speedbike tore its way along.

More time passed, with little in the way of others. Koros hummed to himself as he slowed down to ready himself for a curve in the path, with Secter pulling up beside him.

"So," said Sycamore to Koros. "Say we get out of here."

"Mmhmm," said Koros.

"What are you going to do exactly?" asked Sycamore. "What do you normally do?"

"Like I said, help you kill Silan," said Koros. "If I fail, eh, not the worst way to go so long as I don't get captured."

Secter gave Koros a concerned look.

"Then after that?" asked Koros. "Hmm…thinking a nice vacation to be honest. I've had my fair share of fighting, would be nice to go on a damned cruise or something."

"A cruise?" asked Sycamore. "A nice…upscale cruise eh."

"Yeah, don't have to be too fancy though," said Koros. "Just so long as it has a pool, and no goddamned kids. God I can't stand screaming kids."

Secter snorted. Koros turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Koros. "You got kids or something?"

"No," said Secter. "What you said just made sense for someone like you, is all."

"You were quite close with Tatsumaki," said Sycamore. "Did you ever think about settling down with her?"

"I kind of already had," said Secter. "But things like that…I don't know. I don't know if she'd want a family, that all seemed long off. For the time being, we just wanted to focus…on each other."

"She that special to you eh," said Koros. "Lucky bastard, never had someone like that of my own. Always wondered what it would be like…"

"It seems nice," said Sycamore. "I wasn't even open to friends when I first got to your planet, though people like you and Fubuki and Tatsumaki started to convince me otherwise."

"And I'm glad," said Secter. "And yes, she really is that special to me. I'd die for her, a million times over. I just want to see her again, to hold her again…"

Koros sighed as he swiveled his bike to meet the corner. Secter followed suit.

"Yeah, alright alright," said Koros. "I obviously can't promise anything, but I'll do the best I can to help you both out. You're good people, even if you irritate me sometimes."

"Don't act like you're perfect yourself," said Sycamore. "Supposedly that guy who stole the bandages and almost killed Secter claimed to own em."

"Meh," said Koros. "He's probably as crazy as everyone else here."

"Yeah this place is…terrible, miss my old home," said Sycamore. "Miss my suite. Even miss the other heroes a bit, would rather deal with Blast as opposed to Supremacists."

"Ugh," said Secter. "Forgot about him."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Though he's probably doing about as badly as everyone else…uh, but in any case, we uh…"

Secter felt like collapsing down on his bike, just giving up for but a brief moment to shut the world out around him. He kept driving on, another road opening up in front of them.

"I can only hope they're ok," said Secter. "If I think otherwise, I'll lose my mind."

"Talk about other shit," said Koros. "Like uh, reflect on better things. Like Sycamore, you mentioned some Fubuki person right? She a friend of yours?"

"Uh…yes, I think," said Sycamore. "She was very kind and sweet. Very…patient. Let me see what was really wrong with me, that having other people wouldn't be so bad."

"She's Tatsumaki's sister," said Secter. "Also a really great person."

"Ohhhh," said Koros. "Sooooo, you two might be more like siblings if things-"

"No, it's not like that," said Sycamore, his face burning. "Stop it."

"Whatever you say," said Koros, a thin smirk on his face. "Though you keep saying how you miss this woman and really like her, and wish you could _hug _her…"

"Stop!" said Sycamore. "She's just a friend I miss!"

Secter stifled a chuckle.

"Don't worry Sycamore, he's just teasing you," said Secter.

"Hey, someone had to say it," said Koros. "I haven't seen the woman, but from what you keep telling me, she's got it in for you."

"No!" said Sycamore, his face bright yellow. Embarrassment burned through his cheeks and Secter glanced back to flash a devilish grin at him. "She was just a very understanding friend! Gave me a chance even when I didn't think I deserved it."

"Well when we get back," said Secter. "I'll be sure to tell her just how much you missed her."

"I hate you both," said Sycamore. "I really, really do."

"Hah!" said Koros. His headache was beginning to clear, and for once, he was in a good mood. "She a looker?"

"What do you think Sycamore?" asked Secter.

Sycamore felt as if he were being interrogated by the world's most annoying detectives.

"Yes, she's very pretty," said Sycamore. "Just leave it at that."

"Oh, well now I've _got _to survive til the end," said Koros. "Just to tell her our little Sycamore has a wee crush."

"I'm going to jump off this bike into the Nothing," said Sycamore. "And it'll be your fault."

Secter and Koros laughed.

"Ah it's just jokes," said Secter. "Nice to lighten the mood for once."

"Yeah, been a little while…" said Koros. "Sometimes I forget what it's like to have good friends around you."

"Well, stick around with us," said Secter. "We need you, you need us, and you don't have to…go thinking that death is the only path for you."

"I'm just fine with it," said Koros. "If it…if it means dying for a good cause, good people. And you two are alright."

Secter wanted to object, but remembered how he'd said he would die for Tatsumaki earlier. He was telling the truth, too.

"We'll figure this out," said Sycamore. "Somehow."

They rode past some twisted, blackened trees, their branches like withered snakes against a white backdrop. Sycamore raised an eyeline at them, memories flooding back into his mind.

"Still can't believe they even bothered," he said.

"Hmm?" asked Secter.

"The trees!" said Sycamore. "And the hills, and rocks, and caves…back when the war was going to begin, the engineers made our battlefields look as _natural _as possible, and for what? To calm us?"

"Heh," said Koros. "Even added a little atmosphere full of oxygen so we could breathe, even though we don't need to."

"Lot of Soulless found it relaxing from what I heard," said Secter. "Surprised the atmosphere is kinda still here."

"It's slowly getting eaten by the Nothing, but still here," said Koros. "Even normal humans can survive out here. But yeah, it's crazy how out of touch those higher ups were. No matter how homey they tried to make these shitty paths look, did they really expect a few trees to keep their troops from going insane? This place is literally just purgatory with death walls!"

"They probably thought every little bit helped," said Sycamore. "You gotta remember, most of us were stuck on ships our whole lives, and not many got to even go down to planets to patrol or guard stuff. So maybe they thought it'd be a nice little touch, let us see some planet-like stuff before we march on to our deaths."

"How fuckin poignant," said Koros. "How _thoughtful_."

"I guess it's better than nothing," said Secter. "I had only heard about how you guys lived prior to me joining the Soulless, but was it really just cryosleep most of the time?"

"Gotta keep us in check somehow," said Koros. "We're too damned powerful to live like people, so we have to be shoved away or used like tools. Such was the way of the higher ups. Then when the war came, we get thrown out."

"You were lucky not to live like us," said Sycamore. "Dreary, dreary existence most of the time. No wonder people began to go crazy, or see those weird monsters, or try to blow up ships to escape, just so they could meet other people, make families, see worlds! Soulless would get together, but you know, we can't have Soulless kids, so eventually we look elsewhere…"

"I heard," said Secter. "So damned lonely…"

They came to a clearing that stretched on for what looked like miles. Black sand swept across an empty plain, and on the sides of the area were tiny piles of metal. Each one had dozens of glowing cracks and dots across them, like miniature cities in a dark desert. Upon closer inspection, Secter saw that they were guns. Rifles, pistols, even a few shotguns.

"Uh," said Secter, pulling his bike to a stop right behind Koros. "You seeing this?"

"Yeah," muttered Koros, his voice solemn. "Leave these be."

"What?" asked Sycamore. "You're ok with stealing from the nice auctioneer guy, but taking weapons off the ground is too much?"

"You don't know about these?" asked Koros as he pointed down to one of the piles, sitting precariously close to the white walls of the Nothing. "These are memorials, we don't touch them."

"Oh," said Sycamore. He knelt his head down in respect.

"Memorials?" asked Secter. "Piles of-" Then it clicked for him. Exactly why the guns might be out there.

"Most Soulless don't get buried let alone remembered," said Koros. "Not many to remember us left. Those who have decided to end their journey put their guns aside and walk into the void, like deciding the time for violence is over."

"Huh," said Secter. Throat feeling tight at Koros's words, Secter had to swallow his sadness to move on. "I didn't know…I didn't know that was something you felt strongly about, Koros."

"I mentioned it back at the jail," said Koros. "But I don't know. I have a thing for being remembered I guess. A lot of people do."

"I do…" said Sycamore. "I still worry about how those back on Earth view me, probably won't even remember me if I go and I don't blame them…"

"Don't say that," said Secter. "Fubuki will remember you for sure, Tatsu too."

Sycamore gave a weak smile but wasn't fully convinced.

"Nonetheless," said Koros. "These stay here. I can steal from people even if they seem nice because I've met a lot of liars out here, but I won't steal from something like this. It…bugs me."

"And if it was just a random corpse?" asked Secter.

"I don't know, I know it's stupid," said Koros, exasperated. "I know I sound like a hypocrite. But it's just not the same to me, something about seeing just a pile of guns as the only thing left to remember someone by as opposed to some beaten-to-hell corpse who could've been some real asshole is just…different. Something melancholy about these guns, and I just have to respect it. We'll make do with what we have."

"You'd think they'd worry about these being stolen…" said Sycamore. "Before they go."

"I'm sure they do," said Koros. "But what else do they leave behind as a reminder? The guns they carry might be all they have left, and putting them behind is like moving on. Poor bastards."

"We'll leave them here then," said Secter, riding his bike side by side with Koros's. He smiled over at Koros, who looked like he wanted to take a years-long nap. "Out of respect."

"Thanks," muttered Koros. "I know it's weird of me, but-"

"It's alright," said Secter. "I understand what you're afraid of."

"Mmm," said Koros. His eyes were dark, and Koros hated the idea of continuing the conversation. Speeding his bike ahead, Koros only gave a tired glance back in time to see a shocked Secter follow.

The piles ended at the far side of the field, but in their wake was a single Soulless, who writhed and cried on the ground as Koros and Secter approached. Koros flew over with a gun in his hand while Secter only kept his on his side. They hovered twenty feet away, both of them becoming more and more unnerved at the Soulless's unusual dance. He clawed at nothing, screamed into the air, and was adorned with strange bruises and gashes all over his body, despite no assailants being seen anywhere.

Secter's chest tightened. He thought he knew what was going on.

"Guys," said Secter. "He's not a threat. I think he's seeing something."

"Well no shit," said Koros. "I've seen stuff like this before."

"Oh…" said Sycamore, peering over Secter's shoulder. "Poor guy…"

"Either of you ever had one?" asked Koros. "Had a brief stint with some weird fuckin clawed thing that phased in and out of my vision a while back. Fucking creepy, cut me a couple times but I stopped seeing it once I stopped bothering to care about it."

"I…did," said Secter, concerned at what Koros had said. Stopping to care about things? It felt like the opposite of what he had done to conquer his. "But I stopped it by blocking its attack."

"And still no one knows where they came from," said Sycamore. "Ugh, I remember when the higher-ups said people who had them were delusional, that they didn't exist…"

"Bastards," said Koros. He turned his head to the Soulless, who was now curled into a ball close to the Nothing. "Hey! You!"

No response.

Secter was getting worried now, and he let Sycamore fall softly to the cushions on the bike as he tumbled off of it and onto the ground. He started to approach the Soulless, extending one hand outwards while keeping the other on his gun.

"Careful," muttered Koros. "You don't know what he'll do."

The Soulless moaned, wrapping his arms around his torso. Secter grimaced.

_So this…is what I must've looked like to Tatsu, _he thought. _So alone, and hurting, and cold…I can't let this stand. _

"Hey," said Secter. "It's alright, we're not here to hurt you."

The Soulless whimpered, a pathetic sound not unlike a wounded dog. He got up and started to turn towards the void, and in an instant, began to jog towards it. Secter lunged, grabbing the Soulless around the waist and pulling him back.

They fell backwards, the Soulless tumbling off to the side. Koros stepped down from his bike and picked him up as Secter got to his feet, brushing black sand off of his legs.

"Hey!" said Secter. "Listen to us!"

"What…" said the Soulless. His eyes were pallid like a dinner plate, but once he heard Secter's voice, saw his dirtied, but hopeful face, they started to shine a bit of life again.

"Don't kill yourself just yet," said Koros. "If us morons can make it, so can you."

"Oh…" said the Soulless. "You guys…"

"There's something better out there," said Secter. He reached out and laid a hand on the Soulless's shoulder, who twitched at his touch. "Believe me, we've seen it. And even if it's hard, you can achieve it!"

"You saved me…" said the Soulless. "But why, why bother?"

"Why not?" called Sycamore from his bike. "Why just let a potential friend die?"

"A potential friend…" said the Soulless. He pulled himself away from Secter and Koros, contemplating. The two of them watched him with unease.

"Thank you," said the Soulless. "I'm just…just not in the right mindset right now."

"I know what you're going through," said Secter. "I understand."

"I think we all do," said Sycamore. "Believe us, it can get better."

Koros made a "hmph" noise but nodded regardless.

"Keep at it," said Koros. "And don't do anything stupid you'll regret."

"Thank you…" said the Soulless. His eyes began to water. "I won't forget this, thank you. If even of you ever need help, look for the Drumlords, they're good people, they beat to their own march, they'll help!"

"Drum…lords?" asked Secter.

"Yes," said the Soulless. "I think…I think I'll go back to them, I just needed to calm down a moment, you guys…you guys helped me."

"Well that's what I'm here to do," said Secter. Then in a grim voice: "If I can."

"You did," he said. "You all did."

The Soulless kept his arms around his waist and started to march away, staring at the ground. Koros and company watched him go, making sure he wouldn't try to leap into the void again.

"Good luck to you!" said Sycamore. "Remember, there are friends still out there!"

"And to you as well!" said the Soulless. "Call for us in times of despair, we will show!"

. . .

More wasteland, more strangers. Most paid Secter and company no mind as they sped past, a few giving Secter and Koros dirty looks as they rode on. He wasn't sure why so many still seemed to hold a grudge against other species, and was worried about how it seemed to build within the lost, pained souls of the Nothing. It could only lead to awful things.

Nonetheless, Secter kept his eyes on the road ahead. At one point Koros stopped some passersby to ask for directions, with a not-so-subtle implication of him bashing their heads in if they pulled anything. The group Koros encountered had no idea which way to go, but were intimidated enough by Koros to hand over a single bandage. Though Secter tried to refuse it, the group insisted, surprised and comforted by his warmth.

"Keep your spirits," they had told Secter. "Attitudes like yours are rare to find these days."

Secter was flattered, but found it hard to live up to their words. Already he had been burned by strangers in the Nothing, and there was a long road ahead. To make things worse, Sycamore was still in bad shape, but Secter spared no time in getting the new bandage on his friend.

Several hours seemed to pass as the group kept speeding on, and Koros tried to break the monotony as they headed down a single winding road.

"You know you two are alright," said Koros. "Even if we don't always agree. I'll stick it to the end with you, you know?"

"Glad to hear," said Secter. "We'll find a way out, I'm sure."

"Maybe," said Koros. He narrowed his eyes as something crept into the side of his vision, but thirty feet from his bike. "What the hell is that-"

It shambled across the road from out of nowhere, a molten mass of black flesh and mewling sounds. Screeching to a halt, Secter and Koros stared at the thing in abject horror as it crawled and slunk. Shivering, it turned towards the two riders, two dripping eyes leaking down onto its body. Giving a muted growl, it continued to crawl across the road until it reached the other side, then it kept going. It screeched one last time before dipping its head into the Nothing, going limp immediately after. The rest of its mangled body tumbled into the void as the head disappeared.

"What…the fuck…" said Koros.

Secter watched the creature vanish as well, his heart frozen in its spot, no longer willing to beat for a few seconds.

"Those things…I've seen them before," said Sycamore, his voice icy with panic.

"You what?" asked Koros.

A screech tore through the air behind them. Whipping his head around, Koros spotted a mangled black mass skittering towards them, several grey pipes flipping around and snapping out of its body like steel garden hoses. As it bounded towards the speedbikes, gouts of yellow flame burst forth from the hoses that squirmed throughout the monstrosity's body, flickering within inches of the back of the vehicles. Sycamore shot upwards as he felt the heat scorch his back.

"Well fuck this!" said Koros. "Drive!"

Secter flung his body forward and the vehicle complied, with Koros right at his side. They peeled off, the road stretching ahead of them until it didn't. Tens of yards ahead were the remains of a large grey factory, boxy in its shape and dotted with craters and scorch marks stretched across the buildings like dark smears. Koros skidded to a halt in front of the place as Secter pulled upwards, nearly plowing into the crumbling front entrance. Sycamore was tossed to the side at the sudden stop, catching himself by grabbing the interior of the speedbike.

"What the hell?" asked Koros. "Alright, we turn back, and-"

It was upon them, blasting fire straight at their positions. The flames didn't quite make it to any of the trio, flickering just out of their reach. The creature screamed at them, uttering a garbled mess of sounds and vowels while a chunky yellowish fluid flowed from its mouth.

Secter and Sycamore clambered off of their speedbike, falling back to the entrance as the flames burned bright around them. Their vision obscured by the ensuing inferno, Secter and Sycamore raised their pistols and began to shoot through the firestorm. Koros screamed at them to keep firing as he jumped off of his speedbike and lifted it above his head with both hands.

The yellow bolts of energy found their mark, striking the creature and sending blood spraying out through its back. It howled at them, screeching so loud several windows on the factory shattered. Glass began to rain down from above, coating Secter and Sycamore in a shiny rain.

Koros tossed the speedbike at the creature, laughing as the vehicular hunk of metal smashed into the being. It stumbled backwards even as it readied itself for another fiery attack. Koros ran forward, panicked and enraged at the same time. He slung his staff into his hands as the creature launched a stream of fire over at Secter and Sycamore, forcing them further back towards the entrance. As Sycamore dodged the jet of fire and pulled himself up to shoot, he felt a set of massive claws grip him from around the waist, the fingers larger than granite columns.

Though Sycamore knew he wasn't always the bravest, this new development made him scream louder than he ever had before. He was ripped into the sheer darkness of the building, vanishing from Secter's sight. Yelling for help, Sycamore struggled to pull himself forward as he dropped his pistol on the ground. The more he struggled, the deeper the claws dug into the wounds on his chest, tearing them open again as he twisted. Sycamore could only watch as the entrance grew further and further, and he hyperventilated as terror overtook him.

Secter was in shock, shaking as he tried to figure out what to do. He glanced back at Koros, who was busy smashing the side of the fire-creature's body with his staff as it writhed and snapped at him with crooked black teeth in a glowing mouth. Turning back, he sprinted after Sycamore as he was being dragged down a pitch-black hallway, his body grinding against the tiled floor. Secter aimed at the unknown being pulling Sycamore away and fired, watching as his bolts connected with something in the darkness.

The entire building shook. A roar emanated from deep below, turning Secter's blood ice cold. Sycamore's terrified face disappeared up ahead.

Pinching himself out of shock, Secter darted forward and fell into a gap within the floor, the air rushing past him as he fell level after level until he crashed at the bottom. Groaning, Secter picked himself up, his body aching as he dragged his injured arm over to his front. Setting his pistol against the thick coating of bandages on his arm, Secter raised his head to scan the area.

It was wide and illuminated only in the spot where he fell, white light pouring in from the hallway above. Red tile coated the floor, embalmed in dust and hidden in several places under chunks of metal and rubble. A Soulless in a bloodied black shirt shuddered upwards from his hands and feet to look over at Secter, collapsing back onto his chest as Secter pulled himself up and ran over to him.

"Sycamore, you alright?" asked Secter. Sycamore extended a hand and Secter grabbed up, pulling him up to his feet as Sycamore winced at the slightest movement.

"I'm…ok," said Sycamore, quite far from the truth. "The hell…was that?"

"Honestly I was hoping you'd know more," said Secter. "What the fuck is this place? What is all this?"

"I've seen some of it…" said Sycamore. "I think I mentioned it to you a while ago. Some awful, awful Supremacists and others basically twist Soulless into these weird, mutated forms where they lose their minds…"

"What the hell…" said Secter. "Why?! Why do something like that?!" He was livid, imagining all the poor victims of the Supremacy turned into creatures like the one above.

"To break their enemies," said Sycamore. He remembered the shambling monsters of months ago, held on leads by the vilest of Supremacy officers. "To send a message. I had some threaten to do that to me once after I nearly stole some guns from them."

"This is a fucking nightmare," said Secter. "Sycamore, we need to get out-"

The building rumbled again, a deep growl seething through the walls from somewhere down below.

"Let's…stay away from that," said Sycamore.

"Agreed," said Secter. "Maybe we can…jump up, find Koros."

Sycamore's teeth clenched as he strained his knees to leap, his eyes trained on the jagged edge of where the gap was. His eyes widened.

"Something's nullifying me," said Sycamore. "I tried to see if I could just teleport to the top floor, but something's nullifying me."

"Really?" asked Secter. He raised his hand out to his front and tried the same thing. "Shit, me too. Enough for both of us?"

"And now it knows we're here," said Sycamore. "Fuck, we should get going. Try to be quiet."

"Yeah," said Secter, raising his pistol. "Here, take this."

He handed Sycamore a small gleaming club, with Sycamore pulling it to his chest.

"Alright," said Secter, eying the outline of a doorway at the end of the room. "Let's go."

. . .

They stepped through an empty hallway, passing through rubble and swirls of dust. A corpse aligned one end of the hall, its head missing and its body covered by a white lab coat. Secter gave it a glance as he passed it, before turning back to the end of the hall, Sycamore close behind. The air was strangely cold despite the environment outside lacking any feel to it. Reaching the end of the hall, Secter and Sycamore found themselves in a room that stretched on for thousands of feet, a shining metal behemoth strapped to the wall at the side. The device made Sycamore look tiny as he passed by it, with Sycamore giving the various dark yellow stains on the spiked steel rollers of the machine a wary look as he moved. Strains of black dripped down from the topmost part of the machine, sliding down various leather straps and grey steel spines onto the floor below. It was the devil's torture machine, designed for sadistic pleasure and little else. A single crank-lever jutted out from the side of the device, a system of pulleys attaching it to the spiked rollers up above. Secter grimaced at the machine before turning away. This was used to stretch and mold people into something else.

Secter moved on, his stomach churning. In the next room, he could hear a heaving sound, like an animal expelling their last meal. He stopped at the entrance, Sycamore nearly bumping into his back as he stopped. Inside the smaller, lobby-like area, a mewling giant lump of black shuddered in the corner. Secter slid against the wall opposite the creature, eying it as he sidled along. Sycamore walked normally, his fingers tightening against the club.

"Aghhh," said the creature. "Any…one there?"

Secter stopped. Time felt slow to him, like he was moving through the molasses air of a nightmarish fever dream.

The creature went back to groaning and muttering to itself.

"They're still people," said Sycamore. "Might just…find it hard to talk."

"What…what happened here?" asked Secter. "What did they do to you?"

The creature's stomach roiled and gargled, prompting the it to shuffle to the side. As it did so, cracks tore apart throughout the creature's skin, and it let out a muffled cry as yellow blood splashed out. The floor next to it was patterned with neon splotches, the creature sobbing itself apart. Secter reached out for the creature, but retracted his hand as the being shrunk away from him.

"Let's go," said Sycamore. "We should leave."

"Yeah…" said Secter. "But…why? Why all this…"

"I don't know," said Sycamore. "I just don't know, Secter. This is just the way the Nothing is. Why do you think I tried so hard to be something better?"

"I know, I know," said Secter. "I just didn't know it had gotten this bad…"

They left the being, heading to the next room. Secter gave one last look over to the creature, and could've sworn it was looking back.

The next room was another hallway, pitch black and dripping wet from the ceiling. Various dark rafters dotted the roof up above, stretching across like a maze of shadow. Secter scrunched his face as he stepped over several puddles of clear liquid. Up ahead, a single white light shone through, what felt like millions of miles away. Sycamore squinted at it through the darkness.

"Maybe we're on a lower level…" said Sycamore. "Or…a higher one? Don't know."

"We get out, we find Koros," said Secter. "If we can anyways…"

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "And Secter…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you've been around, here for me."

"No…no problem man," said Secter. "I'm glad you're here for me too."

"I honestly would've given up back at the outpost, you provided encouragement to me, I don't even know if you believe it, but still…"

"I…do, even if it's hard. Like I said, I can't let you, or me, or anyone else we know…to break down like that. I've been there before, and I was in the darkest part of my life before someone else came along to teach me that things didn't have to be that way."

A scream echoed from the other side of the room. It was a blended cacophony of dozens of pained voices, so loud that it made the walls vibrate.

Secter and Sycamore stopped short. Two massive cracked lenses glared into existence overhead, thousands of yellow shards tied together into a single mosaic. A thin yellow line, ten feet long, stretched underneath the lenses. Sycamore gasped as he felt the hands around his waist again, raising his hands to smash at the creature's fingers with his club. He bashed his weapon into the gnarled joints of the monster, and it let out an ear-piercing shriek, reverberating off of the walls and shooting straight through Secter's mind. Secter collapsed to his knees, clasping his hands to his ears and closing his eyes as he felt something solid land on his outstretched leg behind him.

Sycamore gasped as he felt dozens of other hands grasp around his body, crushing him as they lifted him up into the air. He struggled within the cavalcade of hands, but could find no escape. His bones cracked under the pressure.

"Let…him go…" said Secter, his ears ringing.

The creature opened its mouth, yellow light filling the room. Secter could finally see.

The monster was a web, strains of black flesh stretched all the way around the room. What should have been the ceiling was instead a tangled mess of veins and limbs, dripping wet with substances unknown. The face of the creature rested in the center of a spiraling vortex of sinew and flesh, wrinkled folds hanging down from near its many-eyes.

"**Come closer,**" said the creature.

"Secter!" came a muffled voice to his right. "Shoot it!"

Secter turned to spot Koros being strangled by dozens of other hands, pulled up close to the creature's body near where the jumbled mess of flesh was.

"**Come closer,**" said the being.

"Shoot it!" yelled Koros.

Sycamore managed to tear himself away from the hands blocking his face, gasping and sputtering as he peered up at the main face up above. It went back to smiling down at Secter, the light from the room vanishing.

"**Here too long, can not leave,**"** s**aid the creature. "**Listen to me, please.**"

"Fire you idiot!" yelled Koros. "It's going to kill us!"

"Put them down," said Secter, leveling his pistol at the creature's face. "Put them down!"

The entire web shuddered, the being laughing.

"**Crush them,**" cried the creature. "**Will crush them, unless you come closer.**"

Koros became enveloped by dozens of arms, while Sycamore screamed out as he felt himself being smashed underneath the strength of many.

"Stop!" said Secter. He pointed his pistol at the creature, his hands shaking and sweat pouring down from his forehead. It would be impossible to miss the thing, the only question was how many shots it would take.

"**Try it,**" said the monster. "**We'll all die.**"

Koros and Sycamore were completely enveloped in hands now, only their eyes visible from the tangled and twisted fingers holding them. Koros glared out from the creature's appendages while Sycamore's eyes watered as his moans grew stifled.

"**Talk for bit?**" said the creature. "**Had a name…**"

"Just…put them down," said Secter. "Then we can talk."

"**I do that, and you'll leave,**" said the creature. "**They always do.**"

"No, no, just…" said Secter. His heart raced as he tried to pinpoint exactly where his friends were in the tangled limbs of the monster.

"**Sit, do not point,**" said the creature. "**For a bit.**"

"Promise not to hurt them," said Secter. "Or I'll shoot."

"**I promise.**"

Secter reached down to the ground, keeping his pistol aimed at the creature above. Slowly, he went shaking to the floor, landing as he kept his eyes on the insect-like irises hovering over him. He lowered his pistol slightly, the barrel aimed at the wall as opposed to the monster's face. His entire body tense, Secter got ready to move at the slightest tightening of the strains of flesh up above, but the creature did little more than grin.

"**You are?**" it asked.

"Secter," he said.

"**Do not know. Been long since any visitors. Most fight, or hurt me long time ago to become this. Crush and kill those who fight. Do not fight.**"

"I…won't."

"**Good…good…can't leave…**"

"You can't leave?" asked Secter, his eyes still wide.

"**Can move very little…wish for talk, then ask one thing.**"

"And what's that?" asked Secter.

"**You end me, after talk. Just want to talk to one perrrrrrrrrson.**" It struggled with the last word, its throat reverberating and straining as its voice echoed through the room.

"End you…" said Secter. "How…how do I do that?"

"**Vein in neck, very important,**" said the creature. It jerked its massive head down towards a thick tree trunk of flesh underneath its face. Several pulsating veins bulged out from the skin, slithering around as the creature swallowed.

"I see," said Secter.

_Oh my fucking God just shoot the thing Secter, _thought Koros, half of his face obscured by gnarled hands. _It even tells you its weakness and you won't shoot! You flimsy motherfucker, just do it!_

Secter clenched his gun tighter, eying the purple veins just underneath the face. The creature snickered at Secter, a sickening sound like someone ripping apart the strings of a violin.

"**Can crush faster,**" it said. "**Just short talk.**"

"Alright," said Secter. "Do you…have a name?"

"**No one asks, so I forget.**"

"Ah…why did they do this to you?"

"**No one knew, I do not either.**"

"Then…what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"**Is there hope outside?**"

"What?"

"**Hope. Is there hope outside?**"

"It's…not great out there," said Secter. He wiped away at the sweat on his forehead. There could be no telling what this being wanted, yet Secter could see a sadness in its eyes even as it gripped Secter's friends far too tight. "But…I don't think everything is completely bad, though just about everyone is looking for a way out."

"**I do wonder if they got out, all I knew…I suppose I won't see them again.**"

"You can't teleport out? I mean I know we can't teleport out of the Nothing, but just outside…"

"**No. Veins tear, skin tears, if I try to move too much. Hurts. Lots of blood.**"

The creature craned its neck over Secter, leaning its head all the way to the back wall.

"**One last question,**" it asked.

"Yeah?" asked Secter.

"**Are you a bad person?**"

"I…no, no I am not. And I try my best not to be."

"**I hope you will not be. Too many have become that, even if they didn't want it. Maybe we all will be one day, in the eyes of who survive.**"

"I…don't think so," said Secter. "Only when you give up do you risk becoming something you don't recognize."

Images of a cracked mask and a bloodied overcoat plagued Secter's mind at his last sentence.

"**I think so too,**" said the creature. "**But sometimes one is forced to do the things they don't want to do…**"

Secter swallowed, the creature's head directly above him now. Thin, silvery strands of saliva reached down from the being's mouth and onto the floor next to him.

"**That is all,**" said the creature. "**Thank you for listening. Now end me.**"

"Let my friends go first," said Secter.

The hands ripped themselves away from Sycamore and Koros, tossing both of them to the ground. Koros fell neatly to his knees, snarling at the floor, while Sycamore went crashing into a bloody heap, his breathing heavy with pain.

Secter took aim at the veins above him.

"**Give me a name, before I go,**" said the creature. "**You are kind to ask, you are kind to remember.**"

"I…will," said Secter.

The creature shuddered.

"**Ok,**" it said. "**Ready.**"

Secter pointed up at the nearest vein with his pistol, and fired. The bolt of energy burst through the vein, splashing blood down onto the floor and coating Secter's worn shoes with a heaping of yellow. Grimacing, Secter turned to the next, and then the next. The creature remained silent.

Blood was now flooding onto the floor in buckets, Secter having blasted away the final vein. He rushed over to Sycamore, almost slipping on the blood in the process. Propping him up, Secter snatched the nearby club on the ground. Holding Sycamore in one arm, Secter draped Sycamore's arms over his shoulders and dragged him away from the bloody waterfalls, the creature shuddering and shaking violently up above. Koros watched with his arms crossed, his staff slung over his back.

"Nice," said Koros. "Couldn't have shot a wee bit earlier eh?"

"You heard the thing," said Secter. "Had I tried, it could've crushed you both."

Koros shook his head.

"I'll bet you could've got it first, no fuckin way it would've crushed us that fast," said Koros. "And now look at Sycamore! He looks like he's going to puke his guts out at any moment!"

"I…am just…tired," said Sycamore. "Let's…please leave…"

He coughed, sending blood splattering to the ground in front of Secter. His heart aching, Secter's head began to swim with fear, his legs struggling to keep their hold to the earth.

"Yeah, let's go," said Secter. "I hate this place. Hate the look of it, hate it all."

"Place is better off being burned down," said Koros. "Don't care what happened, burn it down."

"Reminder…" said Sycamore. "It's a reminder…"

Koros waved him off as he turned around, heading towards a thin ray of white light towards the back of the room. Secter followed with Sycamore on his back, his friend's legs dragging along the ground as Secter shuffled forward. Sighing, Secter gave one last look to the creature behind him. He gasped when he saw it was staring at them, its eyes no longer glowing as before but instead dull and clammy like a dusted lightbulb ready to die. It made no more sounds at the trio, instead only giving them its last, pained smile. Secter sniffed and turned back. He didn't know what to make of it.

. . .

Vastal strode over to the table and stretched his arms out, basking in the mid-afternoon sun as it hung high in the sky. He reached up to his helmet and took it off, revealing a face crossed with pale scars along his lower face, cheeks, and forehead. Checkerboard Chin was what he had been called once by a stranger who had seen his face. Once. Narrowing his eyes, he peered over at the group of heroes to see what they were up to.

Tatsumaki was holding Fubuki as she softly wept into her sister's chest, sitting on the ground just as they had been hours before when Vastal had left for the main building. Garou was gesturing to Bang and showing off several hand movements, swirling and circling his arms in front of him as he slid into a battle stance. Atomic Samurai and King talked with the rest of the heroes in a circle further off from everyone else, Saitama giving Atomic Samurai an irritated look ever so often. To Vastal's right sat Viskel, his eyes trained on the ground and his mouth curled downwards in a grim frown.

"So you're back," said Viskel. "Thanks for covering the calls for me by the way, really didn't want to call that guy."

"Don't worry about it," said Vastal.

"What did you say to him anyways?"

"Just…spoke with him a bit," said Vastal. "He's still coming here though."

"Ugh," groaned Viskel. He lay sprawled out on the ground below, wincing as the knives hit the dirt before his back could. "This place kind of sucks to be honest."

"What else would you want to do?" asked Vastal.

"Dunno," said Viskel. "I just…don't know. I don't know what I want."

"I get the feeling," said Vastal. "Spent too much time up there. But now, all I want to do is sleep."

"Boooooooring," said Viskel. "Don't you find fighting or something more exciting? You're pretty good at it!"

"No, not really," said Vastal. "Sick of it for now. And…perhaps your day won't be as boring this time around, think I managed to set something up."

"Huh?" asked Viskel. "What do you mean?"

"We'll see how it goes," said Vastal. "But I had an idea."

"Oooh, I'm all ears."

"You'll have to wait. Not sure if it will even work."

A ship appeared over the horizon, a cluster of grey spikes all shooting forward while attached to a larger silver mass. It screamed towards the center of the camp, Viskel jumping to his feet to look up at it. Landing in the courtyard, the rest of the heroes watched the vessel land with unease while Tatsumaki pulled her shivering sister closer. Fubuki was thinning, her ribs more visible from her sides and poking into the tattered and smelly dress she still wore.

Greidhof stepped out from the side of the ship, still coated in armor from head to toe. He sighed as he approached the table, giving a sneer over to Tatsumaki. She paid him no mind, while Vastal rose from his seat to greet the newcomer.

"There you are," said Vastal. "Was wondering when you'd show up."

"Another damned person, two damned people," said Greidhof. "Doesn't even consult me, again!"

"Who, the kids?" asked Viskel. "Who cares?"

"I care!" screamed Greidhof. "I can barely get the rest of the assholes to listen to me, Maske is making jokes at my fucking expense, I can't run the damned operation over there half the time, and then all of a sudden, people just start vanishing! Who the hell is going to take me seriously if my workers start vanishing!?"

"Have you even lost any workers yet?" asked Vastal.

"No!" said Greidhof. "No. The two I people I lost thus far were not. Just fodder. But Silan's going to get a piece of my mind, I'm not taking this shit anymore! What you told me Vastal, I swear, sometimes you're the only other one with sense here. I'll need a meeting for sure, even if it's them listening to Silan at least they'll listen if he tells them to listen to me! Even though Silan's the one generating this mess!"

He appeared from the main building, thrusting the doors aside to make his grand entrance. Silan smirked at Greidhof.

"There he is," snarled Greidhof. "Silan, you know what you did! Come over here, you bastard!"

"I wouldn't," said Viskel. "He's-"

Silan appeared at the table, startling Greidhof. Taking a single step back, Greidhof suddenly found his body frozen to the spot. Vastal and Viskel felt a light go off in their minds, but neither dared to do anything to try and snuff it out. It would not be enough regardless.

"I see you decided to show up," said Silan, his grin spreading wide. Viciousness bled through his expression, from the widened eyes to the gnashing teeth. "Glad to see you Greidhof."

Greidhof was thrown to the ground, his helmet popping off and rolling away in the dirt. He squealed as he watched it go.

"Let me go!" shouted Greidhof. "You're the one causing trou-"

Layers of skin began to twirl and scrape themselves off of the back of Greidhof's head, spinning and drifting off into the sky before disintegrating to dark dust. Greidhof gasped as the back of his head stung and began to bleed.

The heroes had turned to look at the spectacle, Tatsumaki leaning over his sister's head to see what was going on. Not a single one dared to move any closer.

More skin peeled off of Greidhof, strips of black squelching as blood oozed out from underneath their exit points. The sides of his face and the back of his head began to resemble a patchwork quilt as yellow mixed with the remaining pieces of black. Greidhof cried out in pain, tears flooding down from his eyes as he lifted his hands over his head. Silan chuckled, relaxing his fingers and watching as Greidhof collapsed to the ground.

"Ooh, what did I say, you mess with God you receive the punishment," said Viskel.

"Precisely Viskel," said Silan.

Tatsumaki wasn't entirely sure, but somehow Silan's voice sounded deeper than usual. A thin layer of menace had always coated his words, yet now it was something more. The man was out for blood.

"So, what exactly did you want, Greidhof?" asked Silan. "Why did you come here?"

Greidhof lifted his head from the fetal position, his eyes watering as he sniffled pathetically.

"You…you know what you did," said Greidhof. "You stole two…and no one in the factories listens to me, they just goof off or stab people all day, they mock me when I try to get them to work! How do you expect me to have them work with the energy vats if they don't work! And if they don't enforce, then none of the humans work with the parts either!"

"I see," said Silan. "So what are you suggesting?"

"I don't know, meet with them?" asked Greidhof. "We talk with them? Just…not now, I can't let them see me like this, we'll have to wait…"

Silan leaned down towards Greidhof. The formerly helmeted Soulless shrunk away, dipping his head back as Silan's face loomed over his.

"The person I _stole_," said Silan. "Was for my own purposes. Surely you must know by now, that anything I say goes. That's why you're appealing to me, right? So that the others will listen? Then surely you must know. Ultimately, all are under my jurisdiction, as you can't even seem to control yours."

Greidhof let out a loud sniffle, cowering further under Silan's gaze. He reached behind the back of his head, wiped at the liquid behind it, and brought his hand back to his face, wet and warm. He groaned.

"This meeting sounds like a good idea," said Silan. "I will go. But tell me Greidhof, do you understand that I do as I please? I thought this would be clear to you by now."

"I understand," said Greidhof. "Just…don't hurt me."

"Do not storm into my place without my permission again," said Silan. "I gave you all you have, remember? You were but a sniveling wreck when I found you, waiting to die. So do not act as if you have any semblance of control over me-"

"But…when we got here, you said-" began Greidhof.

Silan thrust his arm back and slapped Greidhof from the chin, knocking him backwards. Greidhof's head smacked against the ground, his face embalmed with shock.

"I know what I said!" said Silan. "But as you see, things can change. They always can, at my beck and call. Now, I'm going into your ship, you will take me to the factory and I will sort things out. Understand?"

"Yes…yes," said Greidhof. He tilted himself back into a sitting position, leaving a splotch of yellow on the ground where his head had connected with it.

"Vastal," said Silan, turning back to the lumbering Soulless. "You are in charge until I get back. Should be gone for…oh, I don't know. A day? Yes, a day sounds good."

"Alright," said Vastal.

Silan gave Vastal a smile meant to look sweet, yet his face seemed incapable of giving off that sentiment. Only viciousness was exuded. Vastal narrowed his eyes.

"Very well," said Silan. "Come along then Greidhof, let me fix things for you _again_." He strode into the ship, vanishing within the darkness inside it.

Greidhof pulled himself up, using his forearm to wipe away at the blood that had streamed down the side of his face. His entire head burned with stinging pain and warm wounds, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"What's with him?" asked Greidhof.

"He's in one of his moods," said Viskel.

Greidhof sighed as he straightened himself out, brushing away at the dust all over his armor. Snarling as tears fell down his face, he picked up his helmet and slipped it over his head. Then he noticed Tatsumaki looking at him.

"You," said Greidhof. "You little bastard. Quit looking at me!" He started to stomp towards her, his clawed feet tearing up the dirt below him. Vastal slid over the table and stood in front of her, his body a massive blockade to Greidhof's path.

"She's had enough for now," said Vastal. "Go to Silan."

"I want to hurt her," said Greidhof. "Move out of my way."

"If you don't go to the ship now, something much worse will happen to you," said Vastal. "And I'm not even talking about Silan, I'll just kill you. I don't even care." He towered over Greidhof, a string in front of a mountain. Greidhof shuddered away, more than well aware of what would happen should he try anything.

Viskel's eyes sparkled at Vastal's words. He sat next to the table, placing his head in his hands as if to gaze up at a constellation.

"Fine," said Greidhof. "I don't even know why I stay." He turned around and shambled off into the ship. The door closed behind him and seconds later, the vessel took off to the skies and was seen no more.

Vastal turned towards Tatsumaki, sighing to see both her and a teary-eyed Fubuki looking up at him. They both were hopeful despite their awful positions, and Tatsumaki was silently cheering Vastal for finally standing up.

"Well, you're welcome," said Vastal. "Enjoy your day off from Silan. God knows I need one too."

. . .

The camp was drenched in bright sunlight, Tatsumaki shielding her eyes as she rubbed her sister's back. They had barely moved, still next to the table where Viskel sat twiddling his thumbs. The rest of the heroes were gathered in a circle, each one holding a variety of playing cards. Vastal gripped a small cardboard box in his hand as he lay slumped over the table, two thin slips still within his box. He set it down as Tatsumaki looked over at him.

"I don't understand why any of you follow him," said Tatsumaki. She twitched as Fubuki's head fell heavy on her chest, her sister's eyes closed and puffy.

"Hey!" said Viskel. "You don't get to insult him like that-"

"I'll take this one Viskel," said Vastal. "Why don't you go out and grab us something to eat? Not sure if any of the restaurants are even still running, but you might as well go look around, stretch your legs a bit."

'"Really?" asked Viskel. "I mean, I can just make food appear, ain't no one gonna stop me, but I would like to get out of this boring-ass camp for a bit."

"Go for it," said Vastal. "And hey, you still have those damned knives in your back. What did I tell you about those?"

"Silan says to keep em in, so I'm gonna," said Viskel. "Makes me look…_ferocious_."

"It doesn't," said Vastal. "Think about taking them out sometime."

"Ehh I don't know," said Viskel. "I trust you, but Silan's word is Silan's word…" He turned uncomfortable for a moment before realizing he had a task again. "Alright, I'll be right back!"

He grinned with glee as he bounded on all fours towards the group. As they began to turn and shy away from his advance, he leapt over all of them, flying above the huts and the fence itself before vanishing over the other side.

"He's a good kid," said Vastal. "More or less. Just has his head in the wrong place."

"You look out for him huh," said Tatsumaki. She drew Fubuki in closer, wrapping both arms around her back.

"I've been doing that a long time," said Vastal. "Those fucking knives in his back, they hurt him all the time and make it hard for him to sleep. But of course, Silan told him to keep them in because he treats him like a damned dog, even though I'm pretty damned sure one of those knives was _from _Silan. Viskel won't even tell me."

"All these things you can't stand," said Tatsumaki. "But you're still with him, even though you're out…" said Tatsumaki. She shivered as a gust of cold wind flowed through the air, the final shreds of winter still blowing their way through despite it getting later in the warmer season.

"You have to remember," said Vastal. "Where these people came from. Where I came from. Stuck in a void with people they had just gone to war with for _years _is not healthy for the mind. Far too easy for people to take advantage. Far too easy for hatred to build up. Far too easy for events to transpire that you don't really understand and never really end up understanding. Those who become so tramautized or hateful look for a way out, only to find none. They find more hatred and death. And I grew used to it, numb to it. I told myself that if I ended up caring too much, caring about the brutal personality I had acquired, I would destroy myself."

"That's the place Secter came from…where Sycamore came from…"

"They seemed willing to die for you all at least," said Vastal. "Didn't seem like they hate humankind unlike half the rest of the people in our group. That's why trying to appeal to them is useless, they have no love for you and never will."

"I want them back…" muttered Fubuki. Tatsumaki glanced down at her sister, shocked at her being suddenly awake. "Both of them…I miss them both…"

"I do too sis," said Tatsumaki. "We just have to hope they're ok."

Vastal sighed and stroked the back of his head with both hands. Tatsumaki glanced back over at him, massaging her sister's quivering back.

"I know that you don't want to care," asked Tatsumaki. "But I can tell you still do."

"Of course I do," said Vastal. "I'm not a machine, even if I act like one. I don't really like what's going on, maybe it's because you're so defenseless unlike the other Soulless I've seen Silan torture while I stood by. And of course I still care about Viskel, he's not the brightest as you can probably tell but there's good in him, and I'd like to keep that alive."

"I noticed," said Tatsumaki. Her hope was skyrocketing, she was making progress! "It's noble of you to take care of him, I was worried he might kill Zenko but he let her be. You think he'd be a better person without Silan?"

"We all would," said Vastal. "Except Greidhof, and Maske, because those two are monsters. Fuck them."

"Agreed," said Tatsumaki. "But still…if you do care deep down, why not act on it?"

"Because I'll die. And Viskel too. You do know, you're asking a lot by trying to get me to defect, right? I'd have to throw everything away, to help people I barely know. Why should I?"

"Because it's the right thing to do. And you know it."

Vastal threw his head back, gritting his teeth in anger. Tatsumaki couldn't help but smile, knowing just how bad she was getting to him. Fubuki gripped Tatsumaki tighter, as if to remind her to be careful.

"Yes I fucking know," said Vastal. "I know. And I know at this rate…I might end up acting on what you said. And that'll kill me, I know it. I just hope Viskel comes out alright, and if he does…take good care of him."

"You don't know if you'll die," said Tatsumaki. "Don't give up on this, we need you! And if you do…I promise we'll take good care of Viskel."

"He eats just about anything," said Vastal. "But likes deli meats. He also gets bored and likes to run around, so make sure he has space."

"Alright…"

"But we don't even have a plan, so it's irrelevant regardless."

"We can think of something," said Tatsumaki. "Lot of the time, it's just you, Viskel, and Silan, so…"

"Silan has the power of five," said Vastal. "You saw him skinning Greidhof with his powers? Yeah, even if Greidhof, me and Viskel tried, we couldn't nullify him. He'd have the power of two Soulless left over. On top of that he's a great fighter. A terrible officer and a bad leader who doesn't care about his people, but he can fight and he has some fanatics. He's beaten and abused his people into following his every move, and it finally paid off, which means he's been right all along. Even if he'll gladly lead people to their deaths for his enjoyment."

"Then how do we kill him? Can't you just stab him or shoot him?"

"I mean, yeah, but it's not that easy."

Tatsumaki wasn't convinced. She let Fubuki keep weeping into her chest, soft and quiet now. Fubuki's energy was low.

"We don't have a lot of time Vastal," said Tatsumaki. "How much longer until Silan just starts killing us?"

"I don't know," said Vastal. "I just…I don't know. But I can't just try and stab him, even if I somehow do kill him we'll have a whole group on our hands, and an angry one at that. Lot of them are fairly new, they might scatter out of fear, but the ensuing fight _will _get most of you killed. All of you killed."

Tatsumaki's downcast look hurt Vastal to his very soul. Talking with her was just so tiring, he had heard her points before but something about her and her friends suffering so much had drained him of all life. They knew how to get to him and perhaps Tatsumaki was right, he was getting fed up with his situation.

"Alright," he said. "One thing I wanted to say, between you and me… And do not. _Do not. _Tell anyone you heard this."

Tatsumaki leaned forward, her eyes widening.

"What is it?" she asked. "Is it about Secter? Oh God…please don't tell me he's…just…"

"The outpost he was imprisoned at was attacked," said Vastal. "We lost contact with them for a bit, and just today I got contact back in the comms room after I talked to Greidhof. Whole place is in shambles, no one knows what the hell's happened but a lot of people are dead. Your…loved one is unaccounted for though, with all the damage to the cells it's possible he escaped."

"He…escaped," said Tatsumaki.

"Either that or he's dead," said Vastal. "And fell into the Nothing. Rough way to go, always hated the idea of just falling and then…gone. Forever. No way to ever find you."

Vastal noticed the horrified look Tatsumaki was giving him and dropped his head down onto the table, resting his battered chin against the top.

"I don't know where he is," said Vastal. "That's all you can get out of me. If you want something to hope for, I'm willing to bet he got out, possibly with Sycamore or whatever his name was. But as to where they are now…who knows. The Nothing is a big and threatening place."

Tatsumaki leaned her head atop Fubuki's. Her matted green hair curled over Fubuki's black strands. They both of them felt a spark in their chests, a tiny light in the fog. It wasn't over yet.

"So…they could be ok?" asked Fubuki. She was shaking, too many emotions flooding her brain for her body to handle it.

"Could," said Vastal.

"That's a change from what you were telling me before," said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah well, I've been tired lately," said Vastal. "Seen enough suffering to last me a lifetime. Swear it's going to break me one day, though for a while I was worried there was no way that could happen."

"That's because no one talked," said Tatsumaki. "Sometimes talking can really help with all those horrible feelings…"

"People did talk, and now they talk about burning humans in giant piles," said Vastal. "All depends on who's speaking, and who controls the conversation."

He peered over at the group playing the card game, all of the members focused.

"You take care of them do you not?" asked Vastal.

"I…am just trying to keep them together, keep them sane," said Tatsumaki.

"I saw," said Vastal. "Silan likes it. He'll use you."

"He can try."

"He'll succeed at this rate."

"No, he won't. He'll do his best to break me, or change me, or whatever the hell he wants, but I'm never going to become a monster like him. I won't give up."

"Heard too many people say things like that already," said Vastal. "But go on, enjoy your time with your group. The day won't last forever."

"I'm fine here for now," said Tatsumaki. "With my sis. She…needs me right now, and I don't want to let her go."

"Fair enough," said Vastal. "It's…nice to see you take care of her. And I'll admit, hearing what Fubuki said about Lily…it hurt."

"Don't tell me it hurt you monster," snarled Fubuki. "You could've done something, and you didn't do shit!"

Vastal could only sigh and stare at the ground.

"Vastal?" asked Tatsumaki, wanting to avoid putting on too much guilt and making him snap.

"What?"

"What's going on outside this place?"

"Probably setting up a gun factory. And by that, I mean mass chaos as Greidhof shouts at people to work on guns. Silan probably has around fifteen others out there aside from us, guarantee none of them give a shit what Greidhof wants. Can't say I blame them."

"You could get us all out of here," said Fubuki.

"What?" asked Vastal.

Fubuki raised her head from her sister's chest, strands of hair glued over her face. She was pale and red at the same time, her eyes burning from crying for hours on end, but her body shaky and sickly from her slow and painful recovery. Her lips quivered as she spoke to Vastal, her chest aching from the effort to turn and look at him.

"You could get a ship, load us up, and take us out of here," said Fubuki.

"Take you where exactly?" asked Vastal. "This is a terrible idea in so many ways."

"Anywhere," said Fubuki. "Anywhere but here. I want…I want the rest of my group to come too, and Mumen's friends…"

"You want Silan dead, is what you really want," said Vastal.

"Life would be better with you in charge," said Tatsumaki.

"I've got no motivation for that," said Vastal.

Fubuki glared at him through sodden hair. Vastal frowned at her.

"I know you hate me," said Vastal. "But this is the best it's going to get for you, at least for now. You're going to have to take the small victories."

"I don't believe that," said Tatsumaki. "I think you want to help us more…and I think…I think Secter and Sycamore are going to come back."

"Hope all you want," said Vastal. "But don't keep your expectations too high." He leaned back in his seat until his body faced the heavens. "Back when I was in the Nothing, even before Silan's gang, I was alone, had gotten the shit kicked out of me many times. So, what did I do, bleeding out and all by myself? I kept going, and counted every time one of my wounds finally healed up. Didn't matter if I got new ones, I only kept track of the ones that healed. But even then, I got more than I healed, and I ended up stopping with the count."

He pulled out his machete and began to drag the blade along his right arm as he continued.

"Was a shame really," said Vastal. "Think I stopped counting not long after I got into Silan's gang. I was one of his first, most of the rest who joined were assholes. Greidhof is one, Maske is utterly terrible too, does the worst things to his victims if Silan allows it." He grunted as he dug the blade a bit deeper. Tatsumaki reached out to the table, frowning when nothing happened.

"You shouldn't do that," said Tatsumaki. "You're…hurting yourself."

"Hmm?" asked Vastal. He lifted the machete out from his arm, the blade dripping as he shoved it back into its holster. "Eh, don't even feel it."

"Let him," muttered Fubuki. Tatsumaki shouldered her, a tiny movement but enough to make Fubuki grumble regardless.

Vastal yawned as he stretched himself out over the table, his blood forming a small pool on the platform that shimmered in the sunlight.

"Go on," he mumbled. "Sit with your group. I'm done talking for now."

"Come on Fubuki," whispered Tatsumaki. "Can you stand? I can help you get up."

"I can try," said Fubuki. "But alright, let's move away from him. I…don't want to see any of them right now."

"Ok," said Tatsumaki. "Here, let's try and get up."

Tatsumaki heaved upwards as Fubuki stumbled to her feet, leaning on top of her sister as her only support. Tatsumaki shuffled forwards, the weight of her sister nearly causing her to drop. Had she been any heavier, Tatsumaki wasn't sure she could go on. But on she walked, walking in sync to her sister's limping footsteps until they reached the group. Tatsumaki laid her sister down as gently as she could before plopping down next to her. The rest of the group watched the two of them with saddened eyes, only Atomic Samurai refusing to look up from his hand.

"My sincerest condolences Fubuki," said Bang. "What happened…was a blow to us all."

"Yeah…" said Garou, peering back down at his hand. "Don't give up."

Fubuki sniffled into her arm, resting her head on Tatsumaki's shoulder. Saitama watched the two of them, finding it difficult not to give up himself. It had been a long time since it had been this way.

"You want to join Tatsumaki?" asked King. "Rest a bit…"

"No, I'm fine, you guys can play," said Tatsumaki. She bit her lip as she turned back to look at a slumbering Vastal. "Actually…"

"What is it?" asked Saitama. "You got a plan?"

"We were thinking of ideas," said Metal Bat. "What we could do if it's just Vastal around, but you seem to know em best."

"Yeah…" said Tatsumaki. "Fuck it, if we can't kill them with powers, then I'll kill them with something else."

"Huh?" asked Saitama. "Let us in on it!"

Genos lay on his back, a metallic torso gazing up at the sun.

"I think we should let her take the lead," said Genos. "As she is defacto leader."

"Well, we're all behind you Tatsumaki," said Bang.

"Thanks," said Tatsumaki. "Here…can someone hold my sis for a second? She's…too weak to sit upright like this by herself."

Bang leaned forward from his spot and Tatsumaki pulled herself back to allow Fubuki to reach over to him. Sliding out from between them, Tatsumaki stood up as Bang drew Fubuki in.

"There there," said Bang as he patted Fubuki on the back. "It'll be alright."

"Sis…where are you going?" asked Fubuki, her face hidden by hair hanging like dark curtains past her head.

"I'll be right back," said Tatsumaki. She turned and grabbed the shoulder of her dress, biting into the fabric as she tore a strip of it free from the rest of the garment. Bareshouldered on both sides, Tatsumaki pulled the strip in front of her and started walking towards the table.

"Sis…your dress," said Fubuki. "It's already ruined."

"It's alright," said Tatsumaki. "I'll be back."

She strode over to the table, her eyes focused on the sleeping Soulless ahead. There was an opportunity in front of her, a rare shot at making things better in the long run. It was the only thing she had.

Reaching the table, Tatsumaki leaned over Vastal and slowly began to unfurl her strip of fabric. She slid her hand under his bloodied arm, stopping for a second when Vastal muttered something. Frozen to the spot, she let out a tiny sigh of relief when she saw his eyes were still closed. She began to wrap the fabric around Vastal's cut, twirling it over and over around his arm until she nearly ran out of bandage to work with. Tying what was left of the fabric together, she nodded at the job she had done. Vastal twitched in his sleep, but still did not rise. Tatsumaki turned around, noticing that the group was not the only one watching her. There, on top of the fence sat Viskel, a single grocery bag hanging from his left arm. He eyed her with suspicion as she stared back, standing in defiance against his skeptical gaze. Tatsumaki walked back to the group as Viskel leapt to the ground below, his bag flopping around in the wind as he bounded back over to Vastal. The slumbering Soulless opened his eyes at Viskel's wild approach.

"Hmm?" asked Vastal. He shifted his arm from right to left as if there was something wrong with it. Looking down, he raised an eyeline. "The hell?"

"She was doing something," said Viskel as he pointed back to Tatsumaki. "Not sure what."

Vastal lifted his wrapped arm up to his face, turning it over as he examined it. Grunting, he slammed it down on the table before getting up, the entire platform shaking under his strength. He stared at Tatsumaki, who looked back with exhaustion on her face.

"The both of you were supposed to get normal clothes again right?" asked Vastal. "There was no sense in doing…this." He pointed to his arm.

Shaking his head, Vastal strode over to Tatsumaki, a black dress appearing in his hand. Raising his other hand, a longer, stain-free black dress materialized out of nowhere in the other. He reached them out to Tatsumaki, who took the both of them. She folded them over her arms.

"Wear them whenever," said Vastal. "And I almost forgot, there were a couple of other things I was going to do."

"Like what?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Clear out your hut for one," said Vastal.

Tatsumaki's eyes widened.

"Yes, get rid of those fucking things," said Tatsumaki, straining her fingers into fists. "I hate them."

"Might as well be me, I'm the one who put em in there," said Vastal.

"What?" asked Tatsumaki, horror seeping into her voice.

"Had to, was under orders," said Vastal. He began to head towards Tatsumaki's hut but stopped right as he passed Metal Bat.

"Where's your sis?" asked Vastal.

Metal Bat narrowed his eyes, setting his cards to the ground to fold his hands over his mouth.

"She's…sleeping," said Metal Bat. "Why?"

"I'll get her out of here," said Vastal. "Can't say it's that much better out there, but it's probably better than her staying here."

"Won't Silan notice?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Probably," said Vastal. "But given his mood, he might tend to overlook things. He gets…scatterbrained when he's feeling vicious sometimes, tends to only focus on what's in front of him. Part of the reason I'm glad he's gone for now, he'll look for any excuse to fuck things up when he's like that. Though if he does notice, I'll take the fall for it. I'll live."

"Thank you," said Metal Bat, jumping from his seat. His clothes fluttered in the wind as he stood next to Vastal, looking up at the scarred Soulless. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Vastal. "You all don't worry about things right now, just relax for a bit. I'll get your sis to a city a decent distance from the factory, she'll probably be left alone." He turned back to Viskel, who was watching with wide eyes from the table. "You hear that Viskel? Don't bring the girl back."

"Uh…alright," said Viskel. "You're…in charge now I guess…though Silan won't like it…"

"He'll have to deal," said Vastal. He turned to walk towards the hut Metal Bat stayed in, and Metal Bat followed along. Tatsumaki watched the two of them go, a small smile on her face.

"Wow," said Saitama. "I would have never thought of that."

"We're getting somewhere," said Tatsumaki. "There's still hope."

"You've certainly got a talent for this Tatsumaki," said Bang. "Whatever you need help with, I will assist."

"Thanks," said Tatsumaki. "For now, I just need you all to take care of each other, keep each other's spirits high, and try to listen to Vastal and don't make Silan mad." She smiled wider. "And Vastal told me…and don't tell this to anyone, that Secter and Sycamore might've escaped the prison they were put in, the place was attacked a while back and they're unaccounted for."

She sat down next to Bang and Fubuki, extending her arms out to take her sister back. Bang obliged, allowing Fubuki to shuffle free of his grasp and smiling as she went back to leaning on her sister. Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around her sister, grimacing at how skeletal she felt under her dress.

"If they're out," said Bang, exchanging shocked but hopeful glances with Garou and Saitama. "Then if they make it back, we could have a chance…"

"And if I can get Vastal and Viskel with us," said Tatsumaki. "We could have an even better chance. Silan's people aren't invincible, Fubuki and I saw Sycamore and Secter take a number of them down when they tried to protect us."

"They'll deserve a heroes' welcome," said Bang.

"Hate having to wait," said Garou. "But I guess keeping our heads down is the only option, huh? Ugh."

"I'm afraid so," said Tatsumaki. She turned back to her sister while Garou pondered other options.

"You need to get some food sis," said Tatsumaki.

"Hurts to eat…" said Fubuki. "But I can try…"

Something soft landed behind Tatsumaki, rattling as the wind picked up. She turned around to see a grocery bag with something wrapped in aluminum foil inside.

"Have that," said Viskel, still peering at Tatsumaki with suspicion. "It's a sandwich."

"Thanks," said Tatsumaki. She plucked it out of the bag and began to unwrap it, a warm aroma rising from within the heated foil. The bun now visible, she offered it over to Fubuki, who weakly leaned over and took a bite out of it.

"We can all just relax for a bit," said Tatsumaki. "Just…calm ourselves, we can still figure this out."

The day went on with the group playing cards until the evening, Metal Bat eventually returning with a sad smile on his face. He joined the group as Viskel created a bonfire for him to stare into, Vastal sitting back over at the table and taking a nap with his dark bandage still wrapped over his arm. Fubuki fell asleep against Tatsumaki as Tatsumaki's eyes started to grow heavy themselves. She let out a chuckle when Saitama propped Genos over his back like a backpack, and he stared down at his hand.

"Master, I recommend you not fold this round," said Genos. "That is a good hand."

"Well, I guess I'm folding," said Saitama. "Thanks Genos."

"That is not the strategically beneficial decision," said Genos. "But surely you must have a plan in mind."

Bang smiled at the two of them talking. Everyone continued conversing while Tatsumaki stared off at the stars, wondering just where Secter might be amongst them. The constellations gave no answer, and eventually she leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, watching the card game continue on until her eyelids became too heavy to be open anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

Silan folded his hands over his chest as he stared towards the cockpit, Greidhof scratching the back of his head under his helmet as he drove the ship towards the city.

"You see, things are already under strain," said Silan. He clutched the side of his head as an explosion of pain erupted within the borders of his skull. "The outpost was attacked not too long ago, and suffered a great deal of damage. Those two who fought us when we first got here are nowhere to be found, though they're likely dead, and desertions are running high amongst that place as well."

"I…I see…" said Greidhof.

"So as you can tell, I am under duress yet again," said Silan. "It is up to me, to fix this mess, _yet again_. You see why I'm getting in such a mood? Do you understand?"

"I…understand."

"Good. And you should be grateful for me even coming to this place, though I think a good little speech to rouse the troops would be beneficial at this point. We'll need them to stick around, as for the time being, it seems unlikely we'll be getting more."

"Unfortunate," said Greidhof. "But I don't think we'll need more."

"No, I doubt it," said Silan. "I know who to trust."

"Hmm?"

The ship landed on a platform of grey steel that was extended out from a neighboring skyscraper. Far below were the smokestacks of a factory, sitting within the ruins of what was once a neighborhood. Silan rose from his seat in the vehicle and pushed the exit door aside, Greidhof following him as he got out of the pilot's seat. They strode down a narrow walkway towards the skyscraper, the sun glinting off the many windows which covered the building from top to bottom.

"Do you have them assembled?" asked Silan. He raised both hands to slide them down the back of his head. Inside his mind a spark was being lit, flickering and fostering itself into an inferno just as it had done earlier that day. He smiled. "Or did they even listen to you?"

"I told them you might be coming today," said Greidhof. "They should all be assembled in the factory's main hall-"

"So be it," said Silan. A twin set of glass doors came into view as he neared the end of the walkway, and he reached over to push them aside.

"Viskel said you were in a bad mood…" said Greidhof. "Though now, I understand why…"

Silan whipped around, his body spinning so fast that the flames flickering off of his back barely had time to catch up. Greidhof squealed as Silan grasped him by the neck.

"No, not a bad mood, not at all," said Silan. "But sometimes…I just get in a mood far too wild, too unkempt for my tastes. And it gives me a headache." Shaking Greidhof back and forth like a ragdoll, Silan let him go and chuckled as Greidhof stumbled back, close enough to the edge of the walkway to make Greidhof's stomach churn.

"Come," said Silan. "I desire to speak to the rest."

They made their way down to the bottom of the skyscraper through an elevator, then followed a series of halls until they stepped out into a balcony overlooking a couple of metal staircases and a room down below filled with tables. A little over a dozen Soulless, one of whom wore a pink smirking mask that stretched out over his face, all looked up and cheered as they saw Silan approach from above.

"Oh look, they stayed," said Silan. "A great feat of yours Greidhof."

"It…they…" said Greidhof.

"By now you know this is punishment," said Silan. "Me having to come out here is ridiculous. Certainly you should know how to control your own people."

"I'm trying!" said Greidhof. He was like a sniveling child trying to impress his distant father, no matter how many lashes the parent might deal out.

"Trying is not enough," said Silan. "Watch and learn."

He strode over to the edge of the balcony, resting his long fingers over a metal bar which separated his level from those of below. Smiling, he raised both arms to his sides, as if to embrace every Soulless who stood up and cheered for him.

"Ah, good to see you all again," said Silan. "How is everyone?"

"All better, thanks to God!" they shouted.

"And how are the degenerates below you?"

"Below! Below!" they shouted.

"And the production?" asked Silan.

The group went silent this time, Soulless exchanging glances and fingers being twiddled.

"You know, we are not hurting for weaponry, but I was hoping to at least get some heavier weapons this week," said Silan. "Do you think you can all do that?"

"Of course," said Maske, his voice muffled under a façade that emanated a terrible stench. "The parts are all ready, we made sure the humans got them right. Yet Greidhof thinks he can order us around while doing nothing, he is slimy and we can all smell it."

Snickering from around the room. Greidhof stomped his foot, something warm running down the back of his neck. Furious, he wiped away at it, flicking the substance onto the ground below.

"I understand," said Silan. "You think him aimless. Without a plan for the lot of you. Well, do not worry my friends. There is a reason I put him in charge, I have a plan for you all. And have I not brought you up from where you used to rot?"

"You have!" said the Soulless down below. "You have!"

"I have indeed," said Silan. "So I ask but one thing, that you build those weapons for me. We must be prepared in case others wish to intrude upon us."

"Like who?" mumbled Greidhof. "No rivals nearby or anywhere…"

"Quiet," snarled Silan. "Or I'll tear off your limbs and reattach them to your fucking skull."

Greidhof stared down at the ground, defeated.

"As I was saying," said Silan to the group below. "My friends, you are capable of anything. Are you not the most powerful race there is?"

"We are!" they shouted. "We are!"

"Are you not meant to rule the universe itself?"

"We will rule! God says so!"

"And those below you, will you make them work? They did not help you in your time of need, they do not understand nor do they want to."

"They are beneath us! So far, we can't even see them!"

"Then shall you accomplish your goals? Will you let your own pursuits blind you in your journey to a greater world?"

"No! Never!"

"Excellent!" said Silan, slamming both of his hands on the railway and leaning his neck out towards those below. "Greidhof is not the greatest leader, but he is who I put in charge. So for now, get working on what you're supposed to, it all serves the purpose of bringing us closer to our rightful place in the universe. To greater happiness! To a greater purpose! The only way is up!"

He pointed to the ceiling, and the crowd below went wild, pointing and shouting and tossing tables across the room. Chairs and tables smashed against the walls as Silan chuckled at those below.

_Ugh, it's a madhouse, _thought Greidhof. _This whole operation is a mess, a big damned mess. _

"What about the green-haired one?" asked Maske, standing in a sea of chaos and swirling Soulless as they trashed the room. "I would like to hurt her again."

"I have been coming up with punishments for the whole group," said Silan. "I will let you all know when the time is right. For now…I must calm myself. My punishments tend to be too straightforward when I get in my…moods."

"Very well," said Maske. "We will make the weapons. Do we expect any conflicts?"

"Our outpost was attacked recently," said Silan. "Better to be on the safe side."

"So be it!" said Maske. He whipped around and headed towards the exit.

Greidhof took a step forward, his foot inching towards Silan as if he were surrounded by bear traps. Silan turned back towards him before Greidhof's toes ever made contact with the ground.

"Let them rough the place up for a bit," said Silan. "Maybe kill a few people, get it all out of their system. I will stick around for the rest of the day and then return to Vastal, see what he's up to. Heh heh, I wonder what my little green-haired friend is trying to do with him now…"

"She's manipulative, I can tell," said Greidhof. "I'd like to hurt her too."

"Oh she's my favorite," said Silan. "She's like a Soulless with hope, can take so much punishment until they are finally lost. Ah, how I await the day, but I must not let it come too quickly. If I go back now, like this, I might just end up killing them all, and that's no fun."

"I see…"

"Nonetheless I'm curious to see what she thinks she can accomplish," said Silan. "And seems to not even realize what I'm aware of. Hahaha, the fool. The absolute fool. I cannot wait to crush them all…"

"All for enjoyment…"

"Oh yes, but it is an elevated form of enjoyment…" said Silan. "Their lives are like putty in my hands, so much responsibility. And as you know, I can never get enough of _that_."

He stared down at the Soulless below, all of them rushing out the exit to follow Maske. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and headed deeper into the building, a nervous Greidhof following close behind.

. . .

"Well our bikes are broken," said Koros, gesturing to a twisted, blackened heap of metal. "That one got burnt, the other one I threw."

"Yeah I saw," said Secter, pulling Sycamore up over his shoulders as he started to slide down to the ground. "Where is…"

Koros pointed to a leaking pile of flesh that almost seemed to be melting into the ground, various pockmarks on the creature's body pouring blood out down its folded sides. Several metal tubes lay withered all around it, along with hunks of steel which trailed off to the shattered wreckage of another speedbike.

"Yeah, killed that thing," said Koros. He turned around to show Secter his back, his clothes and skin underneath scorched black in a small streak. "Nicked me a bit though."

"Good I guess," said Secter. "One less thing to worry about."

Koros raised an eyeline at him.

"You sound off," said Koros. "Freaked out by all this shit?"

"Don't know what to make of it."

"Don't worry about it," said Koros. "None of it really matters anyways. Sooner or later some jackass will find this place and burn it down or something, and no one will remember its existence anyways."

"All pointless…" muttered Secter. "All of that time and effort, all that sadistic whatever the hell was going on…" He shuddered and brought Sycamore up again. Sycamore gave a small gasp, his body bleeding profusely from the wounds crushed open from the creature.

"Something like that," said Koros. "And Christ, Sycamore's looking fuckin rough. I told you to shoot that thing, and now look."

"It said it would crush you before I could shoot," said Secter. "Didn't want to take the chance."

"Now Sycamore's going to die from it," said Koros. "But it's a good thing we have med- oh wait! What do you know?" Koros spread his arms out, giving Secter a twisted smile. "We don't!"

Secter's heart felt ready to implode, hatred seeping into every artery and burning holes into his chest. He glared up at Koros, his hands flexing into a fist and then back out again.

"Just fuckin saying," said Koros. He turned away from Secter, stomping towards the fallen creature. Secter shuffled after him, his pistol in one pocket and club in another.

"Not my damned fault," said Secter. "You can't blame all this on me."

"Just some of it," said Koros.

"Oh, why the hell do you even stay then!?" said Secter. "If you just think that we're going to drag you down, why do you even bother to stay with us?! Are you afraid of being out there alone too?!"

Koros turned back and sneered at Secter, his teeth gleaming as he pulled his lips back in an animalistic snarl.

"I'm helping you bastards out," said Koros. "Should be damned grateful."

"All you've done is blame me for shit, and get people pissed at us," said Secter. "Knock it off, you don't even know where you're going."

"You better stop this right now if you know what's good for you."

"Look…" said Secter, a heavy sigh escaping his throat. "I'm…sorry about all that. My head's just not in a good place right now, this has all been a lot to take in so fast."

"Yeah yeah whatever," said Koros. "But now it looks like we're walking. Keep an eye on your pal there, he's not looking so good."

Secter glanced back at Sycamore, whose head was resting on his shoulder. A thin line of yellow dripped down from his mouth as his narrowed eyes stared off towards the ground. Sycamore let out a tiny exhale as Secter looked at him.

"Shit, he's gonna need something to help him heal," said Secter, panicked at seeing just how bad his friend was hurt. "He's bleeding bad again, internally too."

"Was bleeding the whole time, I imagine the creature opened some of his wounds back up," said Koros. "Don't know if he'll make it by now, carry him if you want."

"I'm not leaving him."

"Didn't say you should, but just be prepared that he could go at any moment."

"Then let's move!" said Secter. "Scour the place for anything to help."

"We can head back on the road we came from," said Koros. "Look for other routes. But like you know by now, nothing is guaranteed in this place."

They left the ominous building behind, Sycamore's feet dragging as he clung to Secter for dear life. Koros led the way, a bloodied and cracked staff clenched in one of his hands. Ever so often he would swing it back and forth in front of him, as if he were constantly engaged in battle with the spirits of the dead. Secter kept his eyes trained forward, his body growing heavy under Sycamore's weight and his heart feeling twice as hefty. He slogged on, every step a mile for him. Secter was exhausted, he didn't want to go on, he didn't want to know what was behind the next corner, he didn't know what to make of all that had happened. And yet, he marched.

The trio followed a path that veered sharp left from the one leading to the building they had just been in, another lonely road with little to see other than a few crumbling little caverns and more white void. Koros trudged through blackened dirt, grumbling at how similar everything looked and how anything could be up ahead. Occasionally he'd look back to see Secter carrying Sycamore, the Soulless's eyes closed and his breathing light.

"He's alright," said Secter. "Told me he had to rest."

"Mmhmm," said Koros.

Secter inhaled deeply, a sharp pain in his ribcage spreading out through his body. He groaned as he wrapped his injured arm over his torso, his eyes widening when he spotted the bandages over his forearm.

"Hey!" said Koros from up ahead. "Look at this shit!"

"Oh God," said Secter. "What is it?"

Koros stepped aside to allow Secter to see. Sitting up ahead was an upturned truck of some sort, a sleek vessel at the front attached to an elongated and corrugated container at the back. A single door on the back of the container lay ajar with nothing but darkness within.

"Good place to rest," said Koros. "Let's check it out."

"Alright," said Secter. "Better than staying out here I guess."

Koros strode over to the vehicle, sitting neatly on its side along an empty road. Ducking under the half-closed doorway, he peered inside before getting on his knees and crawling in.

"Whoa!" said Koros, his voice echoing throughout the container and back outside. "Secter, come look at this shit!"

"What is it?" asked Secter. He began to crouch down, folding Sycamore's dangling arms over his chest as he crept forward. Sycamore's legs dragged along the ground below and he opened his eyes, blinking away the sleep.

"Hit the fucking jackpot!" said Koros. "Oh this is great, this is fucking fantastic!"

Secter's hair scraped against the closed door as he pulled himself and Sycamore inside. The interior of the container was almost pitch black, save for a few slivers of light glinting off of what looked to be glass towards the back. Squinting, Secter could make out the shapes of dozens upon dozens of bottles, each one home to tranquil little black lakes of bile. He pulled himself and Sycamore closer, raising an eyebrow as he spotted Koros sitting against the side of the container, raising a bottle in each hand.

"My oh my," said Koros as he grinned from ear to ear. "Look what we got here."

"Wonder why it's here in the first place," said Secter. "And abandoned, of all things."

"Don't know, don't care," said Koros. "Christ, it's been _ages_." He popped the top off of the first bottle, and without a moment's hesitation, chugged the bile down his throat. Secter watched in shock as he lay Sycamore down next to him, the latter giving a small groan as his skin came into contact with the metal.

"You…you serious?" asked Secter as he stared at Koros. "Now?"

"Bitch," said Koros, wiping off his lips as he swallowed the remnants of the bottle and tossed it aside. "We might not get another chance like this. It's time to _relax_."

Secter couldn't believe what he was seeing. One moment, the bottle in Koros's hand was full to the brim, the next it was all gone. Koros burped and reached for a third and fourth, chuckling as his hands found the piles of upturned bottles next to him. How one man could down so alcohol like a sink guzzled water was unknown to Secter, his own stomach churning as he witnessed Koros full himself with dark liquor. Secter turned back over to Sycamore, raising his impaled arm up to chest height and clamping his hand over the chunk of bandages that adorned his old injury. Slowly he unraveled the first bandage on his arm, twirling it over and over until it slid off. Then came the next, to which a piercing stab of pain shot up and down his arm as he reached black blood underneath it. Eyes watering, Secter unraveled the third layer, this one soaked in red but still glowing. Only one bandage was on his wound now, completely reddened and refusing to show even the slightest hint of glow. Secter winced as a pain so deep it went right to his bones exploded throughout his arm. He twitched in response, pulling his arm across his chest and pressing it into his pectoral muscles as his eyes flooded with water. Sniffling, Secter reached over and began to wrap each of the bandages he had torn off across Sycamore's chest, wiping away at his eyes with his arm every time they became too blurry for him to see.

"Secter…" said Sycamore. "Don't have to…do that…"

"You need em way more than me buddy," said Secter. "They're…not that clean, but you guys can't even get infections anyway. Plus they're still glowing so they should help."

"Thanks…" said Sycamore. "Your arm…"

"Hurts, yeah," said Secter. "But I'll live."

"Oi, Secter!" said Koros.

Secter turned back towards Koros, who was waving a full bottle at him.

"You want some?" asked Koros. "Come on, it's good shit. Gooooood shit."

"No," said Secter. "I'll pass."

"Ah come on," said Koros, his words already starting to turn to verbal mush. "Just a bit. Will help with the pain. Can't let this all go to waste…"

"No," said Secter. "Not interested."

"Come onnnnnnnnnn," said Koros.

"I said no!" said Secter. "Enough!"

"Jeez alright," said Koros. "More for me then." He popped the top off of the bottle he was holding and flicked it into the air, the cap cascading down onto the steel below. Taking a swig, Koros coughed some of it back inside and pulled the bottle back down. His mouth dripping with black bile, he sputtered over at Sycamore: "You want any Sycamore?"

"I'll take one," said Sycamore. "For the pain…"

Secter turned to look at Sycamore, astonished that he was even still awake.

"You sure?" asked Secter. "I don't know if drinking that would help…"

"Just enough…" said Sycamore. "For the pain…if I vomit, I think I'll die."

Secter was aghast at Sycamore's words, his face melting back into a relative state of calm when he saw Sycamore giving him a small smile.

"I'll be…ok," said Sycamore. "Just a bit…"

Koros rolled a bottle over to Sycamore, who grunted as he reached down to pick it up. His body refused to move as he reached down, making him look like a bloodied animatronic as his arms acted as the only method to get closer to the bottle. Hands wrapping around the glass, Sycamore pulled the bottle up and offered it to Secter. Sighing, Secter jammed his thumb under the cap and popped it off, Sycamore nodding in gratification. He pulled the bottle over to his mouth and sipped as Secter went back to laying against the wall.

Koros already had his own little pile of empty bottles around him, humming with delight as he gave a stupid smile to the ceiling. Tilting his head back and forth, he jammed another bottle into his mouth, downing the contents with several massive chugs. Ripping it away from his face, Koros burped as he tossed it to the ground below.

"Sorry about snapping like that earlier," said Secter.

"It's all good," said Koros. "Place is stressful, I get it."

"Just been…a lot, very quick," said Secter. "And I miss Tatsu and everyone else."

"Gotcha, gotcha," said Koros. He slammed his head back against the wall. "You're always about the talking, arent'cha Secter?"

"Well…yeah," said Secter. "Think it helps people get through things, helps them understand each other, helps people get all the shit off their chest…though, I understand if people are hesitant to talk, or don't really want to."

"Hate to break it to ya," said Koros, covering his mouth with the crook of an arm as a burp escaped his mouth. "But that shit just doesn't fly out here nine times out of ten. You shoot first motherfucker, ask questions later."

"You've told me," said Secter. "And yeah, I get it. But I meant more amongst friends."

"Ah," said Koros. "Well fuck it, I'm loose enough, and honestly we could die at any second. I'm game to talk a bit. Might as well be with you two eh? You two are alright…good like I said. Last time I had people like you was like…year ago? Ah the time flies, I lost track of it."

"Thanks I guess," said Secter. "And I don't get how you could ever handle coming back here, everything feels so damned hopeless and pointless at times… Every fight, every battle, so goddamned needless…"

"That's…how it is here…" said Sycamore. "Everyone…looking for their own way, some find better roads than others…like to think I found an ok one, but you and Tats and Fubuki showed me what was still wrong…how to really better myself, and make me…feel better…"

"Sheesh, let it all out will ya," said Koros. "Get the feeling you two and all the rest of your pals do this a lot."

"Guess I kinda started it," said Secter. "And I think it has helped a lot, at least for the most part."

"Mmmmmhmmm," said Koros. "Ah fuck, need another drink."

"You sure?" asked Secter. "You've had what, like five already? How the flying fuck did you down so many so fast?"

"Because I'm a _champ_," said Koros. "Know my way around a bottle."

He snagged two more bottles from the pile, popping the tops off of each. Grinning, he took a swig from one, then turned to take a drink from the other, going back and forth until they ran dry.

"My…God…" said Sycamore as he took another sip. "This stuff tastes terrible, how do you down it like that?"

"Because I'm a fuckin _champ_," said Koros. "Ugh…"

"You don't look good," said Sycamore. "Pale…"

"No worse than you," said Koros. He groaned as he picked up another bottle. "Ready for oblivion friends…"

"Koros, you gotta lay off it," said Secter. "You look like-"

Koros's cheeks puffed out to the size of peaches, his eyes bulging along with his face. With a mighty fall back to the steel behind him, he swallowed the liquid back down.

"Nah, it's all gooooood," said Koros. "Calm yourself. Now…where were we? Talkin about shit? You two talk about shit, I gotta finish this bottle."

"You're going to get blackout drunk," said Secter. "This isn't really the place for that."

"Whatever," said Koros. "This might be the last time I ever get to drink, let me live a little."

"Hey…Secter…" said Sycamore, the pain returning to his chest as he set his half-empty bottle down on the ground.

"Yeah?" asked Secter.

"You remember when you two came out of the restaurant that one time…" said Sycamore. A small smile stretched across his face and he chuckled, his body shaking as he did so. Coughing as pain shot across his torso and deep within his body, he leaned back against the wall as his smile turned to a short-lived grimace. He smiled again as he continued. "And Tatsumaki was all drunk, and she said I was an asshole?"

"Uh…yeah, yeah I do remember that," said Secter, his lips spreading into a cautious smile. "Why?"

"I laughed about that after I got back to the ship that night," said Sycamore. "I don't know why, but I laughed about that. It was funny to me."

"Looking back on it, yeah, it was," said Secter. He sniffled as he remembered how Tatsumaki had looked up at him that night, eyes heavy and full of drunken love. How he missed her, enough to make his heart clench in agony. "Yeah…she was pretty drunk at the time."

"It was funny…" said Sycamore. "Think it made me start to like the idea of friends more, but of course, stubborn old me…"

"It's alright," said Secter. "You didn't hurt anyone too bad at least. Don't worry about all that."

"Oi," said Koros. "You two reminiscing?"

"A little," said Sycamore. "My best memories might just be from that planet… Even when I went over to Saitama's house, I was flattered by Fubuki inviting me. Skeptical…but flattered. Thought she was trying to be my friend, but I couldn't understand why."

"She had never told me too much about it," said Secter. "But I think she saw something in you Sycamore…you worry about all that too much, I think she did actually want to be your friend and liked you."

"There we go again," said Koros, slamming back the rest of his bottle as he finished his sentence. He dumped the empty glass container down next to him, the object clattering as it fell on top of a waist-high pile of other bottles.

Sycamore waved him off.

"Ah, I just wasn't so used to the idea of having a real friend," said Sycamore. "Back during the war, I had a few of course, but most of them went out pretty quick or just straight up disappeared. You could find friendly faces, but they'd never last. And…as a result…you started to not try to look anymore. Was too frightening, or even pointless."

"Yeah, I hear you," said Secter, his face growing dark as he peered down at the ground. "Didn't have a lot of friends myself after the war, didn't have all that many before I got to where Tatsu was either."

"Mmhmm," said Koros. "Gotta say, me neither. Haven't had too many friends in a while, I hear what you're sayin Sycamore."

Secter looked up at Koros, sadness drenching his expression.

"Haven't heard too much about you Koros," said Secter. "Mind telling us about yourself?"

"Eh, ain't much to tell," said Koros. "Oof, head feels nicer now. Oh, I will say one thing though, and I'm sure you won't be glad to hear it."

"What is it?" said Sycamore.

"I got no clue where the hell we're going," said Koros. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I figured that by now," muttered Secter.

"And to be honest," said Koros, swirling his hand in the air as if he were stirring an imaginary bowl of soup for whatever reason. "I'm doin this more for you two than for me. I know I know I'm always on about survival and shit, but if I'm bein honest, I don't care about dying too much out here. Been expecting it for some time, always been dragged back here and by this point just…eh. Ready to go I guess. I don't have much else to look forward to, so I guess I just accept it. You two though, sounds like you two got something to fight for. That's rare nowadays, now everyone just fights out of hatred or just desperation to get out. But you two…I help you two because you got a goal, and I like this goal. Wish I had a goal like that. Wish I had something to look forward to like that."

"You could," said Secter, leaning forward. He watched Koros shuffle in his seat with concern in his eyes. "You could be a friend to us and everyone back home, you don't need to see this place as your grave. You can find a better way, we can help you too."

"Exactly," said Sycamore. "Everyone's searching for a purpose now, and too many have given up…there's no reason for you to give up yet."

"Eh," said Koros. "I appreciate all the talk, but I don't know. Kinda just like the idea of helpin you two get out, and either dying on the way or dying against Silan if we make it back to em. Good way to go out."

"You don't have to think that way," said Secter. "This doesn't have to be the end, you can still find happiness, still find something better-"

Koros's harsh chuckle cut Secter off.

"Does this place look like somewhere I can find happiness from?" asked Koros. "Does it look like you've been on a happy streak? No no, too used to all this shit, don't feel like trying anything else. I got my way and you got yours. I'll help ya out, but that's it. Appreciate the offer, but I got no interest."

"Don't give up," said Sycamore. "It's too easy."

"That's why I like it," said Koros. "Whole life has been rough, now I just take it easy…"

"But…what about all that stuff you said after getting out of here?" asked Sycamore. "The cruise or whatever it was…"

"Was just spitballin," said Koros. "I honestly don't expect to make it that far. If I do somehow…well…"

Koros plucked yet another full bottle of bile from the liquor mountain beside him, flicking the cap off of the top and raising it up to his lips. Before he could take a drink, he tilted the bottle towards Secter.

"Cheers," said Koros. He downed the bile as Secter sighed.

"I'm not giving up on you Koros," said Secter. "Though I would appreciate you lightening up a bit. Don't have to attack every damn person you meet…"

"Whaaaaaatever," said Koros. Slouching against the wall, he took to staring down at the ground as sleepiness began to overtake him. "Ugh, stomach don't feel so good…"

"Wonder why," said Sycamore.

"Both of you get some sleep then," said Secter. "We still got a long ways to go, but we can figure this out."

"You keep that optimism," said Koros. "Wonder how long it'll last…"

Secter only gave him a grim frown as Koros started to doze off.

. . .

Secter's eyes felt like they were trying to tear themselves shut, his body feeling like a stack of bricks ready to fall down at any moment. He blinked as he stared over at the opening that led to the trio's hideout, Sycamore snoring peacefully beside him. Across from him sat Koros, his eyes half open and occasionally closing before he'd snort himself back into awakeness and then slowly plunging into a half-sleep state again. Black liquid drizzled from his mouth and ever so often he'd retch and start convulsing, which made for a great way to keep Secter awake and alert. Secter would slide towards the glass hills of liquor any time Koros started to vomit the contents of his stomach back up, but Koros would never fully commit to the act, instead only having a small amount of the bile ooze back out through his mouth. It was as if Koros was forcing the liquor back down, a precious resource to him which was to be used at all costs and was going to bring him enjoyment whether his stomach agreed with him or not. Sighing, Secter groaned as he rubbed at his eyes, his mind screaming at him to just fall asleep already. Reluctantly he agreed, more due to the crushing power of exhaustion than by his own wishes. He closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on his weapons, wandering off into dreamland for a few moments.

Something rumbled outside, pushing Secter back into reality. Opening his eyes, he pulled his small club up to his chest and pressed his ear against the side of the truck. There was something big out there.

Panic seeped into his chest, his heart beating like a war drum as he gripped the handle of his club. To his surprise, he found a small button towards where the handle of the club ended, and after he flicked at it with his thumb, he watched in shock as a yellow blade flashed its way to life along the side of the club. It was small and thin, but glowed with a lethal aura nonetheless, a secret weapon inside an already deadly instrument. Sycamore grumbled and shifted in his seat as the weapon hummed next to him, and Secter flicked the button again to make the blade vanish. Grabbing his pistol in his other hand, Secter winced as he rose from his seat, making sure not to shake the upturned vehicle as he moved. From outside, he heard shouting as something rumbled its way towards Secter's hideout.

"Don't see shit!" came a voice. "Check over by that cavern over there, then check the truck!"

"Shoot the truck!" said another voice. "Just shoot the truck!"

"No, that's a transport truck!" said the first. "Could be good shit in there!"

"No way, it's gonna be looted," said the second.

"Still worth a check," said the first. "And hey, I heard about a shipment of liquor that got lost in this area, maaaaaaaaaaaybe that's it!"

"Ooh!" said the second. "Alright, don't shoot the truck, don't shoot the truck!"

"Check the cavern, kill anybody who's in it," said the first. "_Then_ we check the truck."

"Gotcha!" said the second. "Drive up!"

Secter's eyes widened as he recognized the sounds of a metal behemoth of an armored vehicle tear its way closer to their hiding place. Sliding his club into his pocket, he shook Sycamore awake and reached down to help him up.

"Wha…" said Sycamore. "What is it?"

"Hostiles," said Secter. "We gotta go."

"Koros…we gotta get him too," said Sycamore.

"I will," said Secter. "Don't know if he can walk, but I will."

Sycamore lifted himself up with Secter's arm as leverage, and leaned over Secter's back as he shuffled over towards Koros. Putting his pistol away, Secter prodded at Koros with his free hand.

"Koros," whispered Secter. "Wake up, we have to go!"

"Mmmph," slurred Koros. "Go home Riska, ain't time to go on patrol yet…"

"What?" asked Secter. "Oh for the love of-"

"Cavern looks clear!" said a Soulless from outside. "Drive up!"

Secter reached down and pulled Koros up, his eyes watering as he used his bloodied arm to lift the man over his other shoulder. Koros was large and heavy, his body taking up most of the space over Secter's back and his form hanging limp over Secter like a refrigerator over the spine of the world's most foolish furniture mover. Secter wheezed as he pulled himself and the others forward, with Sycamore wrapping one arm over Secter's neck and another around Koros's back to keep them from falling away. With one hand free due to Sycamore's efforts, Secter pulled his pistol back out and crept towards the end of the truck, his body straining as he nudged the closed door open with his foot. Using his head as a prop to keep the upturned door open, Secter started down the door below that served as a ramp, both Sycamore and Koros's legs dragging against the metal. Sycamore breathed an apology and began to walk along with Secter as Koros continued to mutter nonsense and burp every time his body was bumped even the slightest amount upwards. Secter flinched at Koros's reeking breath, his mouth like a repository for the world's largest chemical dump. The acrid stench burning his nose, Secter pushed himself and everyone else outside, squinting at the glaring white void as his feet found the black road once again. Behind him, he could hear the vehicle churning towards the truck. It was close.

"You hear somethin?" asked one of the Soulless from behind.

"Sounded like metal or some shit!" said another.

"Weird," said the first. "Alright, turnin the turret. Might just get to shoot something today."

Secter peered ahead, realizing he only had seconds to weigh his options. The first would be to retreat back into the truck, set Koros and Sycamore behind him and blast away at anyone who tried to enter. This would allow him to not have to face the armored vehicle out in the open, which would be a death sentence in his state. However, if anyone stayed in the turret, which they probably would, they could just gun him down through the truck. The other would be to crawl to the nearest cavern, which Secter spotted one about fifty feet away, crumbling and sitting next to the road just up ahead. He'd have to go a long way and would be open to heavy enemy fire, but if the cavern stretched deep enough, he could theoretically get away from the pursuers and force them to potentially lose their way in the dark. Neither option boded well for Secter, whose body already felt like it was falling apart even before he had taken on all the weight.

"They have a turret…" muttered Sycamore. "We can't go out…"

"They could shoot us through the truck," said Secter. "I…I can only hope to hit their gunner and make a break for it."

"You didn't even sleep, did you…" said Sycamore. "Can see it in your eyes, you don't have the energy to run."

"Have to try," said Secter. "No other way."

He lurched forward, turning his head back as he started to swivel himself back towards the truck. Pivoting turned out to be a difficult task, as Koros hung over his body like an anchor and Sycamore struggled to keep up with Secter's pace as every movement turned his ribcage into a blazing inferno of pain. Eyes warm with water, Sycamore squinted as he saw the armored vehicle come into view just over the truck. A mounted gun came into sight, a two large pieces of metal attached to its sides in a V-shape to give the gunner better protection. A bored looking Soulless sat in the turret with his hands on the handle of his elimination machine gun, staring off into the Nothing as Secter backed further away from the truck. Koros and Sycamore's legs tore up the dirt below as the sidled down across the ditch that separated the road from the void and the few caverns to the side of the path, and Secter raised his pistol at the unaware gunner, one eye squinted as he peered down the metal sight.

The gunner took notice, eyes widening in alarm. Secter fired just as the gunner started to swivel both gun and steel protection towards him.

A yellow stream of energy burst right through the gunner's eye, blasting it apart as it exited out the side of his head. Screaming, the gunner took his hands off of his gun and clenched them to the bloodied side of his face, his hands covering up the gory mess that was once his eye.

"He got me!" shrieked the gunner. "Can't see, can't fuckin see!"

The vehicle lurched forward towards the end of the truck before swiveling to the side, its nose pointed just past the doors from which Secter and the others had emerged. A single dark and tattered flag hung from over the side of the vehicle, the middle of which was emblazoned with a silver icon of several skeletal claws reaching upwards into the darkness of the top of the fabric, but found themselves constrained into a tight bundle by a grey rhombus shape with sharp points. Black windows hid the occupants of the vehicle, but Secter could barely make out voices from with the driver and copilot seats as he scurried his way backwards.

"The fuck?!" asked the passenger. "He actually got out? Gun him down!"

One eye streaming with blood and tears, the gunner grabbed the handles of his gun, revealing an imploded eye on the side of his face. Blobs of sinew and ocular flesh strung themselves down his cheek as the Soulless squinted with his other eye.

Secter fired again, blasting at the turret as he stumbled backwards as fast as he could. Sycamore watched with terror as Secter's shots collided into or bounced off the gunner's protective shield, the majority of the gunner's body hidden behind his metal barrier.

"Run," said Sycamore. "Run!"

Secter whipped around as fast as his body would allow, Koros and Sycamore dangling off him like puppets off a bridge. He shuffled forward as he fired his pistol behind him, a single lucky shot catching the gunner in the shoulder and causing him to howl in pain.

Secter's heart felt like it was going to rocket out of his ribcage as bursts of yellow energy cascaded all around him, the impacts of the bolts sending dirt and chunks of road flying in every which direction. The gunner swayed to and fro, covering his eye with one hand as he struggled to bring his gun to bear on Secter's position. One of his shots ripped through Sycamore's leg, and Sycamore let out a pathetic groan as the burst tore through skin and muscle alike.

As the bursts of energy drew closer, Secter mustered every last ounce of energy he had, breaking into a half-run, half-jog as he tried to sprint towards the nearest cavern. He fired a few more times behind him, all of his shots smacking into the side of the armored vehicle and leaving little but a small scorch mark behind. The gunner groaned as he rubbed at the remnants of his eye, wishing desperately he could just go home.

"What the hell are you doing?!" shouted the driver. "He's right there, just hit him!"

"Can't fucking see!" yelled the gunner. "I'm half-blind, asshole! Ah God it hurts…"

"You fuckin pussy, just shoot him!" said the driver.

By now Secter was within tens of feet of the entrance to the cavern, a gaping black maw with no signs of what lay inside. He sputtered and gasped as he dragged his two limp friends over his back, Sycamore ceasing to run with him as pain shot up and down his leg.

"Almost there," said Sycamore. "You got this Secter, almost there…"

"Someone shootin at us?" asked Koros, his voice laced with drunken confusion. "The fuck's going on?"

The gunner sent a triage of bursts towards Secter, several bolts of energy tearing through Koros's side and another skimming along the right side of Sycamore's ribcage, blasting right past his skin and scorching Secter's torso as it flew by. Secter paid it no mind, picking up his pace as the darkness of the cavern began to serve as his new surroundings. With a grunt, he leapt into the shadows, collapsing onto the floor of the cave and crawling forward as great flashes of light blew through the ceiling above and made the place look like a yellow-soaked rave. The ground was wet and rocky, but Secter kept his head low as he dragged himself and his comrades further and further inside. He heard the armored vehicle approaching, rumbling along the path as he spotted a dim light deep down in the darkness some twenty feet away.

"Now I can't see anything!" shouted the gunner. "Fuckin already half-blind, but he ran in there!"

"Just shoot like mad!" said the driver. "Don't let em get away!"

"Ah fuck it, just go back to the truck!" said the gunner. "Who the fuck cares!"

"You're gonna let that bastard get away after what he did to you?!" asked the driver.

"Ugh…" said the gunner, rubbing at his face and sniffling as he tore his hand away, dripping with blood and having it spill onto his feet below. "Just want to get out of here, don't want to get fuckin shot again."

"We got fire superiority," said the driver. "But fine, fuck it, if you're so goddamned afraid."

"Get the alcohol!" said the passenger. "Pretty sure I saw some in the truck! Gleaming bottles!"

Secter crept along the ground, his skin turned cold. He was in full survival mode now, his mind only set on getting as far away from the vehicle as possible. Sycamore had one hand clenched on his injured leg to prevent it from bleeding all over the ground, but a few drips streamed out regardless. Despite this, the vehicle swerved away from the cavern and rumbled away, growing fainter and fainter as Secter crawled deeper into the cavern.

"Think they're gone…" said Sycamore.

"Thank God," said Secter, his voice like a rock against a grindstone.

"Get me back to that fuckin truck," muttered Koros, his eyes half-closed. "Where the fuck am I…"

"Keep quiet Koros," said Secter. "You'll give us away."

"Look at you makin decisionssss," said Koros. "Look at you go."

The tiny light which Secter had spotted earlier was closer now, and Secter squinted to see it was a glass lantern, affixed to a series of small wooden boards right above an opening deep in the cavern. The opening led to a hallway with several other lanterns attached to the walls, each one glowing white as they illuminated a greenish hallway with silver pipes stretching all the way down the sides.

"We going down there?" asked Sycamore, clutching at Secter's shoulder as he held himself up for a better look.

"Yeah," said Secter. "Got no choice. Can't go back."

Secter started to pull himself up, his back muscles turning into a patchwork of pain as he lifted both Sycamore and Koros along with him. Sycamore kicked at the ground to help prop himself to a standing position, wincing as he connected the foot of his injured leg with the rocks below. Koros made no movements other than tilting his head forward as he retched and sputtered as his stomach churned.

Secter huffed as he dragged everyone into the hallway below, glancing around at the dull green bricks that the walls were made of and the strange lanterns which lit the way. The hall stretched on for what looked like miles, eventually turning to darkness as the lanterns further down the way looked as if they had died out or were smashed in. Shuffling partway down the corridor, Secter shrugged Koros off of him, catching him in both arms as Koros started to slump to the ground. Feeling ready to collapse, Secter lay Koros down against the wall and leaned back up, stepping back to the wall opposite Koros and crouching down to his knees to allow Sycamore to get off of him without falling. Sycamore obliged and sat against the wall, smacking the ground next to him to prompt Secter to sit as well. Secter slid down the bricks onto the floor, his breathing heavy and his body sinking like a bag of cinderblocks.

"You need rest," said Sycamore. "Bad."

"I know," said Secter. "Should've…should've got more sleep."

"How much did you get?"

"Dunno. Feels like only fifteen minutes or so. Whole body hurts, so heavy…"

Koros finally gave in and vomited onto the floor, a flood of black liquid splashing onto his feet and legs. Both the cement down below and the fabric of his pants were stained alike as acrid liquids spewed from his mouth, Koros groaning as the last remaining strands of the vomit dribbled from his mouth.

"Ughhhhh," said Koros. "Oh God…"

"I told you to lay off it," said Secter.

"No it's fine," said Koros. "Oh God my head feels like it's gonna explode, and my stomach…ah my stomach's like a tsunami. Won't shut up, won't shut up…"

He banged his head against the wall behind him.

"Whole world's spinning," said Koros. "Can't even concentrate…"

"That stuff will fuck you up," said Sycamore. "How much did you drink again? Like seven, eight bottles?"

"Probably like ten," said Koros. "Is my usual. Ugh…should've brought some with us too…"

"Are you crazy?" asked Secter. "Do you see what it's done to you? It's not good for escapism Koros, it's just gonna poison you."

"The hell do you know?" asked Koros. He clamped his mouth shut, his cheeks puffing out as a burp escaped his throat. Eyes wide, Koros strained his esophagus as he pushed the chunky substance back down, a look of pure disgust and pain on his face.

"More than you think," said Secter. "I know it's hard, but we'll find a way to get you off that stuff…"

"Hadn't had it in a while, just wanted to splurge…" said Koros. "Is that too much to fuckin ask, just a little bit of happiness in this goddamned hellhole?!"

"Well look what it's done to you," said Sycamore. "Puts us all at risk, Secter could've used your help back there."

"Secter's a fuckup too," said Koros. "Get off my fuckin case."

Secter clenched his teeth together, his face going numb with rage. He wanted to get up, to walk over and smack Koros across the face with his club, for all that Koros had done and said to him, but he lacked the energy. He needed the rest.

A scraping sound echoed through the hall from up ahead. Secter turned, dread overcoming his senses as he spotted three pairs of glowing eyes emerge from the darkness and head straight towards them.

"Shit," said Secter.

"What is it?" asked Sycamore. He leaned forward to look past Secter, a deed easier said than done as his chest erupted with pain. "Oh."

Three Soulless came into view, the first in the group grinning at Secter as he spotted him slumped against the wall. The other two crept along behind him, watching Secter and the others with interest as they slunk their way closer.

Secter smacked a hand against the wall as he pulled himself up again, keeping his other on the pocket where his pistol was. As the new trio drew closer, Secter walked to the middle of the hallway and turned himself sideways, extending one arm out and holding his free hand up to form a barrier with his body.

"Who are you?" asked Secter. "And what do you want?"

"Oh, we're just passing through my friend," said the first Soulless in the group. "Don't want any trouble, for sure."

"There's an armored car with a bunch of unfriendly people in it up there," said Secter. "It's best if you turn around and go the other way."

"Ohhhhh, is that so?" asked the leader. He turned back to his companions, who both smirked up at him. "Well, thanks for the information, mister…"

"Secter," he said.

"Interesting," said the leader, spreading his grin wider. "Well, we can help ya out if you want. Your friends aren't lookin too good, we have a nice stash of medical supplies not too far back if you want to come along…"

Secter narrowed his eyes as he examined the Soulless. He was tall and held himself as if he were the greatest thing in the world, yet there was a certain viciousness to his eyes and smile, something unsettling hidden underneath. Looking down, Secter caught sight of several patches of black hanging from a string that was looped over the Soulless's shoulder. The patches were outlined with yellow, and a few were dripping.

As if aware of Secter's gaze, the Soulless pushed the patches around his back and out of sight.

"Nothing to worry about," said the Soulless. "Come on now, we can all be friends here."

"Just go back," said Secter. He didn't trust them. "No one needs to get hurt."

"Please," said Sycamore. "We don't want any trouble." He wished desperately that his leg wasn't crippled, that he was able to stand and help should things go wrong. A feeling of uselessness crept into his brain, utter despair overcoming his thoughts as he reflected on how much of a dead weight he was at the moment. To his credit, Koros wasn't faring much better, sitting and staring down at the floor as the lingering effects of the alcohol muddled his brain.

"All of you, fuck off," muttered Koros. "Ugh, feel like shit."

"Now that's just rude," said the leader-Soulless. "We don't have to be rude here, this can be a friendly meeting."

"Then at least tell me your names," said Secter, frozen to the spot. His eyes were still trained on where the strange black patches were, the gears in his exhausted brain turning as he contemplated what to do.

"You and your fuckin names," said Koros. "All he cares about is names, names, names. Who the hell cares…"

"Oh, I suppose you can just call me Knife," said the leader-Soulless. He chuckled, mocking Secter's attempt to get to know his humanity. "And this might as well be Sledge." He gestured to the Soulless to his right, who pulled a sledgehammer with a grey-and-yellow cinderblock of steel at the end. "And this could be Spear." Pointing to his left, the other Soulless snickered as he pulled out a short pole that gleamed with energy, the tip of which ended in a crown of spikes.

Knife reached down to his leg and withdrew the weapon of his namesake, a long and slender blade that glowed yellow in the dark. Secter ripped his pistol from his pocket, praying that if things were going to go the way he thought, that they'd end quickly.

"Get the hell back," said Secter.

"Oh give it up," said Knife. "You're not gonna win. We caught wind of a little man named Secter who escaped from a Supremacy jail, figure there might be a little bounty on your head!"

"I can guarantee you they won't pay much," said Secter. "We don't have to fight. Just leave."

"Correction, you _can't _fight," said Knife. He snickered at Secter, a demeaning and sharp sound. "I know a pair of exhausted eyes when I see them, and you sir, well, you have no life in your eyes."

Secter blinked. This was enough for Knife.

Knife dashed forward faster than Secter could even think, and in an instant, swung his blade across the knuckles of Secter's hand. The skin peeled apart like an apple under the blade, and Secter yelled in pain as he recoiled. Knife caught his arm with his hand and slashed at it with his weapon, forcing Secter to drop the gun before he could even fire it once. Stumbling away, Knife scooped the gun behind him with his foot and kicked it down the hallway, the glowing pistol sliding into the dark and out of sight. Knife chuckled.

"Hey-" said Sycamore as Secter retreated. The trio followed him, and Sledge swung his arm back and punched Sycamore in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. The world went fuzzy for Sycamore as his teeth smashed into the floor, his brain scrambled by the blow. He heard laughter up above, and braced himself for another impact, but nothing came. Instead, Knife and the others advanced further towards Secter, who had withdrawn his club and held his ground a few feet away.

"This one's completely wasted," said Spear as he prodded a grumbling Koros. "Lucky lucky."

"Ah, ignore him for now," said Knife, still grinning. "Focus on the task at hand."

Spear brought his weapon up and smacked Koros in the ribs with the brunt of his weapon. Koros sputtered out a stream of blood and bile, clutching at his chest and falling onto his side. Groaning, he watched as warm liquids flowed out from between his teeth and down past his lips, dripping onto the cement.

Secter would have no more. Despite his arm aching, his muscles straining, his mind shrouded in fear and complete exhaustion threatening to overtake him, he charged forward with his club overhead. Knife just shook his head at him as he drew close, entertained at the mere thought that Secter would even try.

Secter brought the club down towards Knife's head, and the Soulless reached up and blocked it with his forearm with little more than a grunt as the weapon connected. Spear crept up from around Knife and jabbed at Secter in the stomach with his pole, stabbing him right in the midsection and sending Secter back again. Blood dripping from the points where the spear had penetrated his skin, Secter snarled at the trio, rage burning from within his soul. He dashed at Knife again, wanting nothing more than knock the fucking teeth out from the grinning bastard.

He swung from the right this time, his club flying through the air fast enough to send wind blowing across Knife's face. Knife caught the club with his forearm again, and Secter reacted by sending a punch towards Knife's midsection. He managed to hit him, but Knife kicked him away.

Faltering, Secter only barely had time to catch Spear's pole as he tried to send it crashing atop his head. What he didn't have time for however, was Sledge's hammer as it came flying from the right and smashing into his side.

Secter went sprawling, barely keeping hold of his club as he slammed into the side of the hallway. His ribcage cracked under the impact, and pain suddenly became the only thing Secter knew, rampaging all throughout his body and threatening to overtake his mind. He scrambled backwards as Knife and the others advanced. Knife chuckled as Secter pulled himself back up, his shoulders shaking at Secter's plight.

Secter charged again, this time trying to plow into Knife rather than swing. He succeeded in knocking into him, but Knife charged back, pushing Secter away while jabbing his blade upwards. Secter managed to pull away in time, again on the run from the trio.

_So little room, _he thought. _Knife goes in front, his pals run in from the side if they can. Have to take advantage of the space, knock them into one another…_

Secter was gasping now, every breath a colossal effort. The trio advanced again, all snickering now. They knew the end was nigh for him. Secter knew it too. Blood was oozing out from his stab wound, the sudden exit of the blade having shredded his skin and muscle where the knife had been pulled free.

_No, _thought Secter. _Not here, not like this. Not like this. _

Tears started to run down his face, forming dark streaks against his skin. They fell off of his chin onto the floor below.

Knife was enjoying every second of the fight, watching with glee as Secter's shirt grew drenched with blood. Secter's face was growing pale, icy cold sweat beading down his forehead and pouring down his back. He waited for Knife to draw close, bending his knees as if readying himself to be decapitated. Knife took the bait and struck first this time, raising his blade over his head in an overstrike blow.

Secter charged forward in a sudden burst of speed, taking Knife by surprise. As the Soulless stumbled back, Spear tried to charge around the side but Secter threw Knife to his left, crashing into his comrade and sending him back. Then Secter pulled his club out and flicked the button, swinging the weapon around the right which forced Sledge to step back. The blade on the club connected with the side of Knife's face, cutting a section of his cheek open all the way down to his grin. All of a sudden Knife's mouth looked several inches longer than it should've been, blood oozing out from his cheek and down along his face. Secter then slashed forward and cut through Knife's chest, forcing all three of the Soulless back at the sudden assault.

The atmosphere changed as Secter advanced forward now, Knife's grin now vanished and replaced by an enraged scowl. He prepped himself to run forward, but Secter beat him to the punch, catching him in the stomach as Secter pulled his head down and turned himself into a human battering ram. Secter achieved his intended effect, knocking Knife to the floor. He had bought a moment of time, but he had to keep going, keep fighting, until the bitter end!

Spear charged from his side with his pole extended, and Secter dodged out of the way, swinging his club upwards and catching Spear in the chin with the blade, just centimeters from Spear's neck. A long line of yellow tore itself open across Spear's chin and Secter followed up with a punch to Spear's face, the Soulless shrieking as he was forced away. Fear had overtaken him, as if he were aware just how close the blade had come to slicing through more than just the underside of his face.

Sledge ran forward from the other side, swinging his hammer but completely misjudging the distance. The solid part of his weapon smashed into the wall, obliterating bricks but little else. Secter tore himself away from Spear and slashed at Sledge, his blade slicing through the Soulless's face. Secter screamed as he kicked Sledge in the stomach, hard enough to force spittle out from Sledge's throat and strong enough for a loud _crack _to sound off in the air.

_That's it! _thought Secter, a vile grin on his face. _These bastards can't stop me, I'm not fucking done yet!_

Meanwhile Sycamore still lay sprawled on the ground, the pain too great for him to stand. Koros was blubbering, barely comprehending what was going on.

All three of Secter's enemies were on the defensive now, Knife having gotten back up and Spear falling further behind his comrades. Gnashing his teeth like an animal, Knife pointed at Secter and Sledge charged, swinging his hammer from side to side in the hope of catching Secter off-guard. Secter pulled back, watching the hammer like a hawk. The moment it hit the wall, he ran forward to stab Sledge between the eyes. Secter's hopes were dashed as Knife ran forward, slicing at Secter and cutting him horizontally down the chest. But instead of falling back after the wound, Secter jabbed his blade into Knife instead, stabbing him twice before pulling his hand back wide to cut him through the head.

Sledge saw where Secter's arm was going and swung before Secter could, the hammer catching Secter's arm and smashing it into the wall. His arm, already injured from impalement, became completely obliterated against the brick, bone and skin alike fracturing against the blow.

Secter screamed in pain and dropped his club, watching with terror as he pulled his arm away. It was a numb appendage now, hanging limp at his side, broken and turning bright red as blood streamed all along down to his hand. Looking back up, Secter saw that Knife was clutching his stomach and gasping as he fell back towards Spear, while Sledge was grinning and advancing towards him. Spear was trying to get around Knife, and in any moment, it would be two versus one. Secter had to move.

Sledge's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Secter charge forward instead of run away, squaring up with him as if ready to engage in a one-armed boxing match. Sledge panicked and swung at Secter, who leaned back to avoid the blow. As the hammer smashed into the wall, Secter scrambled down and picked up his club with his good arm before headbutting Sledge in the stomach, sending him tumbling into a wounded Knife. Spear ran around the two, and Secter got up to rush him.

Spear struck first, aiming high with his pole and smirking as the spikes scraped along Secter's cheek and opened several slices across his face. His smirk disappeared when Secter plunged his blade through his forehead, pinning Spear to the wall as Secter twisted the blade inside the Soulless's brain. Letting out a tiny gasp, Spear's arms went limp. He dropped his weapon, dead. Secter could finally feel a short burst of relief, yet it was still not over.

Sledge was already running towards him, fury and fear both emblazoned on his face. As he began to swung his weapon back, his foot found the side of Spear's weapon and he tripped, smacking his head against the ground and rolling over to the side so that he lay horizontally in the hallway. Secter started to lean down to slice at Sledge's head, but Knife charged at him in the front.

Bringing his weapon back, Knife aimed to stab Secter in the stomach again, but Secter swung his club down at Knife's arms, both of their weapons clashing. Blades sending sparks into the air, Secter stumbled forwards as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his legs. Knife fell back as well, Secter just barely managing a quick stab into Knife's stomach as he tumbled back under Secter's weight. Knife twisted and turned to get away, screeching as Secter's weapon was torn from his body. He retreated further down the hall.

Secter fell to the ground in Sledge's grasp, fury burning within him as he witnessed an opportunity lost. He looked down to see Sledge glaring up at him with as much hatred as he could muster, and Secter decided to end this look by bringing his foot into Sledge's face. He kicked into Sledge, brought his foot back up, and kicked again, every pullback showing more and more of Sledge's smashed features being coated with streams of blood. Slurping the blood into his crushed mouth, Sledge relented and let go of Secter, who pulled himself back up.

Stumbling, Secter fell onto the other wall against his bad arm, pain exploding all up and down his appendage. He felt like dying, his body hunched over as he hyperventilated into the air, every fiber of his being telling him to just collapse and give up. Blood was rushing from his stab wound, from the cut on his chest, down his face, and all along his arm, where Secter could see a shard of bone jutting out from his skin. He retched, vomit burning his throat as he stepped forward. Swallowing it back down, he started towards Knife, who was sidling along the wall back towards Sledge. Secter was now in front of the hostiles, advancing towards them with what tiny amount remained of his energy.

Knife was faring little better, breathing heavy and bleeding from his multiple stab wounds. He groaned as he stepped past a fallen Sledge, Knife's expression no longer as gleeful as it was not so long ago. Now he was exhausted, fearful, ready to run but found no where to go. His only shot was ending Secter, which he had every intention of doing.

Knife stumbled towards Secter, slashing through the air in a series of sloppy strikes. One of them nicked Secter in his good arm, and Secter responded by swinging his own weapon. He slashed through Knife's other cheek, but as he did so, Knife tackled Secter and pushed him back in an effort to get Secter to drop his weapon. He didn't succeed, Secter drawing his club down behind Knife's back but finding himself unable to get another strike in as Knife pulled his weapon down and tried to stab Secter in the gut. Secter used the blade on his club to block the knife, turning it to the side to turn the blade into a makeshift shield. The two of them held their weapons there, Secter's arm being forced further and further towards his stomach as Knife pushed his blade against Secter's. In a matter of seconds, either Secter's blade would slip or Knife would push through Secter's one arm with both of his own. Secter's body shook without his command as he watched Knife's blade start to poke through his own.

Groaning with pain, Secter swung his useless arm like a sword against the side of Knife's head, smacking him across the skull with a bloodied mess of flesh and bone. Knife's lost his grip on his weapon as his head was knocked sideways, utterly shocked by the attack. Eyes narrowing, Secter ripped his blade away from Knife's and swung it across Knife's throat just as Knife dropped his weapon to the floor below. Knife staggered away, both hands raising up to clutch at his neck. He gasped and sputtered like a fish with no water, blood spraying through his fingers and staining his palms yellow. No matter how desperately he tried to stop it, the blood would not stop gushing out of his throat, and Knife collapsed to the ground, gone for good.

Secter stepped around Knife, his walk turning into more of a drunken stagger than anything resembling normal movement. A thin film was covering the world around him, misty and gray. His shirt was soaked in sweat, pouring down from his back, armpits, and head. He wanted to collapse so badly, so much…

Something jabbed through Secter's leg, and he yelped as he fell to the ground at the sudden pain. Catching himself with his good arm and letting his broken one hang limp at his side, he glared back to see Sledge clasping onto Spear's old weapon, the pointed edges having been stabbed straight through Secter's leg. Secter crawled away from Sledge, who blinked as more blood drained over his eyes.

Secter grabbed at the spear with one arm and yanked it free with a mighty heave. He tossed it down the hallway, red arcs spiraling off from its end. Snarling, he turned around and crawled towards Sledge, who pulled both his arms up in defense. Secter ignored this and stabbed Sledge in the stomach, who immediately screamed in pain and brought both his hands down to his torso to try and stop the next attack. The next one turned out to be into his neck, which Sledge was not prepared for. He gasped as Secter stabbed him again and again and again, over and over until Secter could stab no more.

It was over, all three dead. Secter struggled to pull himself to his feet, collapsing several times to his knees before finally managing to stand. He limped down the hall, body swaying from side to side as he neared a groggy Koros and a stunned Sycamore.

Sycamore tried to pick himself up, but the pain proved too great, and he slumped back against the wall, unsure of what to say. Koros was sitting up and started to speak.

"Nice job," said Koros. "And a good fight, a damned good fight."

Secter's rage began to build again, a tiny spark against the sea of exhaustion and pain that he felt he was drowning in. He dropped his club to the ground and raised his fist back, imagining how nice it would look if he brought it smashing into the side of Koros's head. Instead, he dropped his arm to the side and began to cry, sidling over to Sycamore and collapsing down next to him. Tears rolling down his face, Secter did his best to blink them away, but the next time he closed his eyes he found himself struggling to open them again. Exhaustion had taken another victim today.


	8. Chapter 8

Tatsumaki opened her eyes, shifting against the warmth of her sister as she lay next to her. Underneath her was a thin layer of fabric, and Tatsumaki blinked in confusion as she turned and looked down to see two dresses folded over as a pillow for both her and her sister. Looking back up, she realized that the sun was low on the horizon, blanketing the world in an orange light. The sounds of footsteps against dirt approached her, and Tatsumaki sat up to see Saitama walking towards the two.

"Don't wanna wake your sis," said Saitama. "Surprised you managed to sleep out here though."

"Ugh…what time is it?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Dunno, they don't give us clocks," said Saitama. "But it's morning, for what it's worth."

"Well, I can see that."

"We all put your guys's dresses under you for pillows," said Saitama. "Does make em a bit dirty, so I hope you don't mind. But it's better than using dirt or metal as a pillow."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki as she patted the fabric beneath her, soft and silky to the touch. "I guess."

"You've given everyone hope," said Saitama. "What you did, real smart."

"Thanks…" said Tatsumaki. "Just trying to make sure everyone's ok. I know I haven't done the best job…" She glanced over at her sister, slumbering away on her folds of fabric.

"Hey, you've done fine," said Saitama. "And none of this bad stuff is your fault. Like you said, keep the blame on Silan. It's a good idea, I'm starting to see what he's trying to do. Poor Genos, was starting to get to him until you began to lead."

"I could see how he'd be destroyed after you lost I guess," said Tatsumaki. "But I'll do my best."

"We're all behind you," said Saitama. "Don't think that you're alone in this, we're all here to support and help you out."

Tatsumaki sniffed, a wave of sadness washing over her. Her eyes grew watery.

"Huh?" asked Saitama. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's fine," said Tatsumaki. "You just…sounded like Secter for a moment there."

"I'm sure he's alright too," said Saitama. "Knowing him, he's probably doing everything he can to get back to you. Miss that guy to be honest, hell I even kinda miss Sycamore. At least Sycamore didn't try to kill anyone."

"He…actually kinda threatened us," said Tatsumaki. "But ended up defending us along from Silan's people along with Secter. And I don't know if it's Sycamore's fault as to why Silan is here. Somehow I doubt it."

"Dunno," said Saitama. "Don't know if people think that way. Most of the rest…aren't really so hot on him."

"I can't say I blame them," said Tatsumaki. "They didn't see him nearly give his life to defend me and Fubuki and Secter. Last they saw…he was threatening to destroy the Earth, no matter how much of lie it was."

"Yeah…" said Saitama. "Might want to let the rest of the group know, I was talking to Metal Bat and King and Bang about Secter and Sycamore coming back and they said while they needed his help, it might be best if Sycamore didn't stick around. Sometimes I think the same thing."

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "I know what he did was wrong, but he never would've followed up on his threats. He freaked out over seeing a cut on Fubuki's leg, for fucks sakes!"

"Leave him alone," muttered Fubuki.

Both Saitama and Tatsumaki were shocked to hear her. Tatsumaki reached over and shook her shoulder.

"Sis, get some more rest…" said Tatsumaki.

"Tell them…" said Fubuki, her eyes barely open. "That Sycamore fought for us all, he regrets all he did, he deserves another chance…"

"I think they'd be willing to believe that," said Saitama. "And me too, especially if it turns out that his big sword wasn't what drew Silan here."

Tatsumaki's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't considered this.

"I…doubt that," said Tatsumaki. "I know Silan implied it, but this is Silan after all…"

"Don't know," said Saitama. "Not worried about that for now. For now I'm just worried about Silan coming back."

Tatsumaki groaned as she fell back atop her makeshift pillow, her heart slowing to a crawl. Dread seeped into every single recess of her mind as she contemplated what to do.

"I'll see if I can figure out something…" said Tatsumaki.

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "You don't have to do this all alone, let us know what you're thinking, we can help, we want to help…"

"I know," said Tatsumaki. "Just do as I said, keep each other supported, and try to get to Viskel and Vastal. And sis, seriously, get some more rest, before Silan comes back…"

"It's fine," said Fubuki. "Was…not having good dreams anyways."

"Oh," said Tatsumaki, her voice heavy with sadness.

"But what was it about Viskel and Vastal?" asked Fubuki. "You're getting to them, that bandage was a smart move."

"I…don't really…have a plan," said Tatsumaki. "Trust me, I really, _really_, want to get you all out, but the only thing I can do is keeping pushing Vastal and I guess Viskel."

"You think that guy will help?" asked Saitama, crossing his arms as he glanced over at Viskel, who was splayed over the ground and snoring up to the heavens. "Dunno, he seems…not quite bright."

"He likes Vastal, and doesn't hate us," said Tatsumaki. "That's better than average."

"Ah," said Saitama. "Well, if you say so."

"How…how is everyone doing, by the way?" asked Tatsumaki. "I don't get to ask this often, and especially before Silan comes back…"

"Well, from what I can tell, Metal Bat and Bang are doing pretty well," said Saitama. "With Garou being ok and Zenko being gone, they're pretty happy about it. King is…uh, not that great. Has panic attacks on occasion, I can understand why. And Genos, well…he's having a rough time too. But I think he's coming around. Atomic Samurai though…dunno. Worried about that dude, he's not that smart and he's more afraid than I thought."

"Ah…" said Tatsumaki. "Got it. Just making sure."

"Honestly, this is like the first time I've really paid attention to these things," said Saitama. "Not sure how, but I feel more connected with people. Just wish it wasn't under these kinds of circumstances."

"Me too," said Tatsumaki. "Sis, you can keep resting if you want, you really need it."

"I'll try…" said Fubuki. "But I feel…lost."

Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her as tight as she possibly could. Fubuki started to cry into Tatsumaki's chest, weakly embracing her back.

"It's ok sis," said Tatsumaki. "It'll be ok soon, I promise. I love you."

"I love you too," said Fubuki. "It just hurts…but I love you too."

_Aww, that's kinda sweet, _thought Saitama. _Kinda nice to see em this way, but of course, Silan has to ruin everything. _

Tatsumaki held her sister close, swaying back and forth as she kept Fubuki within her grasp. Hearing a yawn behind her, she turned around and saw Vastal stretching himself over the table, a single black strip of fabric wrapped over his arm.

"Urgh," muttered Vastal. "What, it's already morning?"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki, with eyes narrowed. "Rise and shine."

"Hmph," said Vastal. "Silan will be back soon. Enjoy your time while you can."

"Come on man," said Saitama. "I can tell you don't like that Silan bastard. Why not you know, just kill him when you have the chance?"

"He knows," said Vastal. "He's not stupid. He knows who dislikes him and who doesn't. And for whatever reason, those who don't like him are towards the top."

Tatsumaki stared at Vastal, drinking in his words like a warm soup. She thought and thought, not sure what to make of it.

"Vastal, what do you like to do?" she asked.

"Sleep," said Vastal. "Sometimes eat."

"That's it?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Yeah," said Vastal. "Not much to tell. I'm not a big dreamer."

Viskel stirred from his slumber at Vastal's voice, poking his head up with tired eyes.

"And Viskel," said Tatsumaki.

"Huh?" asked Viskel, swiveling around to look at Tatsumaki. "Oh, my favorite of the humans!"

Tatsumaki managed a small, pained smile.

"You spitting in Greidhof's face was top-notch," said Viskel, giggling. "He's so stupid, so so stupid, and a big whiner!"

"A worm," said Vastal. "Born in the dirt and always lives in it."

"Yeah that's it!" said Viskel. "Vastal's always got the best insults."

"Who is Vastal to you?" asked Tatsumaki to Viskel.

"Oh he…" said Viskel. "Wow, he's the guy I look up to most except maybe Silan! He's been taking care of me for years! He's not the most emotional guy, but he's got a real soft spot for downtrodden weirdos, like me, hehe."

"No," muttered Vastal, spreading a frown over his face. "Quit it."

"Well it's truuuue," said Viskel. "You act all tough, but you've got soft spots to ya, that's why you're like my big brother!"

"And as your big brother I'm telling you to stop," said Vastal.

"You took care of me when I was hurt," said Viskel. "Remember when you first found me? All those others you were with just ignored this weird guy writhing in the dirt, but you wrapped me up, took me in! Didn't even ask questions!"

Tatsumaki turned towards Vastal, feeling sly and triumphant.

"I know," said Vastal, mildly embarrassed. "I just figured I could do the right thing for once."

"Then how about now," said Fubuki. "Why not now…"

"Let me think about things," said Vastal. "This isn't easy."

"Think about what?" asked Viskel. "Ooh, do you have a plan, Vastal? Something to fulfill ourselves, right?"

"I might," said Vastal. "But we'll worry about that later."

Tatsumaki frowned at Vastal, who sighed when he noticed her expression. She tapped her wrist, reminding Vastal of what little time was left.

"Vastal, I have nothing else," said Tatsumaki. "If you don't help me, I don't know if anyone can or even will. I have to appeal to you, I have to get everyone out of here. You know Silan's power is arbitrary and pointless, please I'm begging you…help us out."

"I did," said Vastal. "And stop…stop looking at me like that."

Tatsumaki blinked, but refused to stop staring at him.

"Ugh," said Vastal. "I understand, trust me, I really do. When I was in the Soulless Army a long time ago, all I thought I would be doing is helping people. But that was a long time ago…"

"It doesn't have to be so different," said Tatsumaki. "Your journey isn't over, you can still help…and maybe we can help you."

Vastal collapsed over the table, both arms extending over it as if he were ready to tackle the very platform itself.

"You're not dead yet," said Tatsumaki. "So act like it."

"You're either very brave or very stupid to talk to me like that," said Vastal. "Haven't quite decided."

"Decide what you want," said Tatsumaki. "My requests are the same."

Vastal shrunk in his seat, defeated at her words.

"Just go," he said. "Do what you want. Stop bothering me about it for now."

Tatsumaki glared at him as he slunk down into his chair, his body slumped down.

Meanwhile, Viskel watched with shock. He was piecing together what was happening, but slowly, like a barely functioning robot arm would rebuild a thousand-piece puzzle.

"You're still my favorite," said Viskel to Tatsumaki. "Even helped out Vastal, he shouldn't cut himself! But what's with you? What's your game?"

"Let her be Viskel," said Vastal. "Let her be."

"I'm not gonna hurt her," said Viskel. "She's a nice one. Maybe too nice."

Tatsumaki let go of Fubuki as her sister lowered herself back to the ground. Rising to her feet, Tatsumaki stared at Viskel.

"You know," she said. "You don't have to have those knives in your back."

"Hmm?" asked Viskel. "The hell do you know?"

"You don't have to be treated like an animal, or a tool," said Tatsumaki. "I can tell you don't hate us and don't want to hurt us. You're more than just Silan's pet."

"Vastal make her stop," said Viskel. "Don't like it."

"She's not wrong," said Vastal. "Listen up."

Viskel shuddered at her words, his hands folding over his chest as if he was in silent prayer.

"It's alright," said Tatsumaki. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You're not strong enough to hurt me," said Viskel. "I'm the Mad Dog! You're nothing compared to me!"

"You don't have to be in pain all the time," said Tatsumaki. "You don't have to be denigrated that like. I understand, we all hate it."

Viskel glanced back and forth between Vastal and Tatsumaki, panic rising within his chest. With a whimper, he bounded towards the table, but could find no refuge there. Frowning, he ran off towards the main building, stopping halfway to the entrance.

"He's skittish," said Vastal. "Don't mind him, he was afraid when we first found em too."

"So he's been hurting a long time…" asked Tatsumaki. "And you helped."

"Yes," said Vastal. "He was hurt and afraid, just like everyone else."

Saitama walked over to where Fubuki and Tatsumaki were, and he crossed his arms. A question had been plaguing his mind for a long time, and now was the time to ask.

"Vastal," he said. "How come Silan was able to beat me so easily? How were you able to hold me in place with metal bars alone?"

Vastal was confused. The question Saitama asked him simply made no sense.

"Silan is just strong, like you," said Vastal. "As am I, as are all Soulless. Even if you worked hard to get where you are, to do the right thing, sometimes in life, like he tells people, you just lose. Doing the right thing, putting all your effort into it, just isn't enough. And sometimes what smacks you down in life is disappointing at best. A single unaccounted for bill, a car accident, a gang of morons with no real homes. And as moronic as we may be, we worked just as hard to get here as you did to become a hero I'm sure."

"Maybe," said Saitama. "But I've been growing stronger every day, and I still stood no chance. And you held me with bars alone…"

"That you may," said Vastal. "But sometimes even that's not enough. Maybe there's still a weakness you have that can be exploited. Silan markets himself as real life, as God, some undefeatable thing that is simply correct no matter what you think. He preys on the weaknesses of those who are against him to solidify and prove his point, and you all are fighting against that, which brings him joy since he believes he can never be wrong. That he'll end up winning, and it's all the sweeter."

"What an asshole," said Saitama.

"You don't fucking say," said Vastal. "But on the bright side, you've got some real strong people on your side, here and up in the Nothing somewhere." He paused for a moment, suddenly saddened by something. "Oh, and if I didn't mention it already, it wasn't Sycamore's fault that we're here. Poor guy probably believes that's the case up there, and Silan implied it to you, but we came here of our own accord. Silan's order."

Fubuki beamed over at Tatsumaki. She smiled back.

"I knew it," said Tatsumaki. "I'll spread the word. But for now, what do we do?"

"You'll never be able to beat me or any of the others physically," said Vastal. "Hold out, pray your friends to come back. Silan and his group are just a random tragedy, and it's best for you to stay down for now…"

"You have to do something in the meantime!" said Tatsumaki. "We don't know when or even…even if Secter and Sycamore will come back! And if they do, they'll need help!"

"Just keep your head down," said Vastal. "Silan-"

A ship had appeared on the horizon, flying towards the center of the courtyard. Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around herself, dread overcoming her senses.

"Speak of the devil," said Vastal.

"No…" said Fubuki. "Please Vastal, help us…"

"Can't," said Vastal. "Not now."

The ship landed, the side of the vessel opening up to allow Silan to step outside. He smirked at Tatsumaki as he took his first step back into the camp.

"Enjoy yourself?" he asked. "I've been feeling better myself, I won't lie."

Tatsumaki felt herself shaking with rage. The very sight of that being made her burn with anger, the source of all her pain and suffering grinning at her just tens of feet away. All it would take was a single swing with a glowing machete…

"I feel much calmer…" said Silan. "Have had much more time to…_deliberate _on all of your punishments."

Vastal kept himself slouched over the table while Viskel stood frozen in the middle of the camp, unsure of what to do with himself.

"Enjoy yourself Vastal?" asked Silan. "Must be nice to be in charge."

"It's decent enough," said Vastal. "Not my style."

"Nonsense, surely you must love being able to order others…" said Silan. He chuckled as the ship behind him took off. "Now, where is everyone? Viskel, get them up!"

Viskel ran back over to the table, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Everyone, get up!" he shouted. "Up, now! Everyone! Up now!"

The doors to several huts burst open at Silan's command. Genos twitched, laying down on the ground not far from Metal Bat. The young delinquent also jolted to life, staring Silan down through the burnt remains of the fire.

Soon, every hero had dragged themselves to the courtyard, none of them pleased at the outcome. Bang watched Silan with hate while Atomic Samurai looked like he had just stepped out of a sauna. Silan watched them all with glee, rubbing his hands together as they moved. Tatsumaki gave them all a silent nod in solidarity, pressing them for strength even as hers felt like it was eroding away.

"So, I've been thinking about your punishments…" said Silan.

Atomic Samurai stepped forward, his hand raised as if he were ready to ask a question in a university class.

"Yes Atomic Samurai?" asked Silan.

"I…" said Atomic Samurai, swallowing every ounce of his pride. "I got something to say."

"Do go on," said Silan.

Vastal perked up from his seat. Tatsumaki stared at him with bulging eyes.

_Don't, _she thought. _For the love of God, don't. Don't do it, you fucking idiot, don't!_

"It's about Vastal," said Atomic Samurai as he pointed towards Vastal's arm. "While you were gone."

"Oh?" asked Silan. "Is there something you wanted to report?"

Vastal said nothing, only staring at Atomic Samurai as he tapped the top of the table with his fingers. He wanted to rip the idiot's head off, but knew it was a bad idea. Viskel stood a ways away, stepping nervously from side to side as he wrapped his fingers together.

"Yeah…" said Atomic Samurai. Swallowing as he ignored the furious gazes of his companions boring into his back, he continued. "Vastal uh…he let Zenko out, and gave Tatsumaki and Fubuki some dresses, even let Tatsumaki wrap up a cut on his arm…"

Silan glanced over at the black strip over on Vastal's arm, rubbing his chin as he spotted it. Snickering, he looked back over at Atomic Samurai, who was breathing as if he had just run a marathon.

"Well, that's very interesting…" said Silan. "Was wondering where the child went. Yet nonetheless, I put Vastal in charge and we should respect his decisions. Though…perhaps not all of them can go without punishment."

Vastal narrowed his eyes over at Silan. He stopped tapping the table.

"Well…" said Atomic Samurai. "I uh, I made my report…"

"You did, and your loyalty is certainly appreciated!" said Silan. "And of course, I must reward those with such loyalty."

Atomic Samurai smiled, beaming even as everyone around him looked ready to kill him. Tatsumaki was perhaps the most animalistic of all, her eyes bulging as she ground her teeth together and veins popping out of the sides of her head as her face turned bright red.

"You will have your punishment from me rescinded," said Silan. "Lucky you."

"Wait," said Atomic Samurai, his jaw dropping. "No no, I should get to leave right? Blast got to leave after he made his report, what about me?"

"Blast didn't have a punishment hanging over his head," said Silan. "You do. And now you do not. You're welcome."

Silan giggled as he walked over towards the table. Vastal's chair scuffed against the dirt as he scooted away from Silan, who did nothing but lay a hand upon the table.

"Vastal, you're in charge for the next few minutes until I get back," said Silan. "Have some calls to make, apparently the front is in chaos, _again_."

"Got it," said Vastal.

Silan couldn't help but grin as he strode away from the table and back towards the main building. Today was going to be a happy day.

Watching as Silan disappeared inside the great cathedral, Tatsumaki turned back over to Atomic Samurai, who was standing in the middle of a circle of smirking heroes. He gulped as he glanced back and forth at all of them.

"If you all take him some place to talk to him, then I don't mind," said Vastal. "Let him come back black and blue, God knows if I get my fucking hands on him then I'd just kill him on the spot."

"Wait," said Atomic Samurai as everyone but Tatsumaki, Fubuki, and Genos formed a wall to start pushing him towards Metal Bat's hut. "Hold on."

"Ohhhh, you've done it now," said Metal Bat. "Always knew you were the weak link, but selling out my sis after all that she saw? Now you're fuckin dead."

"Put em in the hut," said Saitama, a twisted smile on his face. "We have to talk to you for a bit."

"I'm deeply disappointed in you," said Bang. "Truly, there are no words…"

"Some hero you are," said Garou. "You trying to screw us all over just so you can leave? Fucking figures."

Genos watched from his spot next to a nearby hut as the barricade of heroes advanced closer and closer to Atomic Samurai, who kept backing up until he found he was pushed against the door to Metal Bat's home.

"Wait, come on guys, I just…" said Atomic Samurai.

"Can it!" said Garou. "Get inside!"

"Fucking bastard," said Fubuki. "He just saw…he just saw what happened to Lily, and he was going to leave us like this? Destroy our only hope of getting out…"

"He's dead," said Tatsumaki. "He's fucking dead." Turning over to Vastal, she felt a wave of sympathy rise up from within for the hulking Soulless, his face drooping with tiredness.

"Well," said Tatsumaki. "What do you think is gonna happen Vastal?"

"I mean I knew Silan would find out about Zenko, perhaps everything else too," said Vastal. "I took the risk. Didn't figure one of your own would just rat me out like that, perhaps I should've expected that too."

"He's a fucking idiot," said Tatsumaki. "We're going to have to talk to him."

"Silan screwed him over as much as he did to me," said Vastal. "I figured I'd be punished either way, but having it stem from that idiot just pisses me off."

"You knew Silan would find out…" said Tatsumaki. "Risked your neck for us…you…you're a good person Vastal."

Vastal sighed, collapsing over the top of the table as he laid his chin on the wood below.

"Thanks," he muttered. "You too."

Viskel crept over next to Vastal, rubbing his hands together if he was freezing cold. His eyes were wide, as if he were staring death itself right in the face.

"What…what's going to happen to you?" asked Viskel. "What do you think Silan will do?"

"We're just going to have to find out," said Vastal. "Seems calmer now at least, though that's not always a good thing."

"I don't like this," said Viskel. "I really, really, don't like this. Something bad's gonna happen, I don't like this."

"Calm down," said Vastal. "It'll be fine."

"I…I don't know…" said Viskel. "I feel…I feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack, like I'm gonna have a panic attack Vastal, I've got that tight feeling in my chest again…"

"Just take a deep breath," said Vastal. "In for five seconds and then back out, remember? I'll be alright, everything will be fine."

For some reason Tatsumaki's heart hurt for the two grim Soulless in front of her, despite everything they had done to her. Neither of them looked like bad people to her anymore, just lost. Lost and afraid, unsure of what to do or where to go until a true monster thought he could point them the way.

Turning back to her sister, Tatsumaki extended a hand and grunted as Fubuki grabbed it, pulling her shaky sister up to her feet. Leaning on Tatsumaki as a kind of human crutch, Tatsumaki reached down and picked up the two dresses off the ground.

"Let's go for a bit sis," said Tatsumaki. "Back to my hut real quick, then we can catch up with the others."

"What…what for?" asked Fubuki, her voice weak. She was still quivering as she walked, every footstep feeling like a mile.

"To put these clothes on before Silan takes them away," said Tatsumaki. "Mine's all torn and yours reeks of blood. No reason to keep wearing them."

"Ok…" said Fubuki.

Tatsumaki helped her sister limp back over to their hut, opening the door for them both and striding inside. The interior of the hut was empty, grey light seeping in through the windows as a series of clouds began to darken the sky above. Shutting the door behind them, Tatsumaki let her sister go as Fubuki reached out to the wall to steady herself.

"You think…you think you can get your dress on without help?" asked Tatsumaki.

"If I can use my powers, then I can," said Fubuki.

"Well…you can try, sometimes they seem to allow it," said Tatsumaki.

She handed the longer dress over to Fubuki, watching as Fubuki grabbed it and folded it over her chest. Shuddering, Fubuki began to lift her own dress off using her powers, the rust-red fabric sliding over her sides then over her shoulders and head. Tatsumaki grimaced as she saw her sister's pale and skeletal torso, ribs jutting out from under her skin.

"You…you have to eat sis," said Tatsumaki as she turned away.

"I know," said Fubuki. "I was feeling sick for a while, had a bad fever and didn't think I was going to wake up. Didn't want to even look at food the whole time."

"I…I'm sorry for not being there," said Tatsumaki.

"But you were there, you probably saved my life," said Fubuki. "You're a really good sister, the best anyone could ever ask for."

Tatsumaki felt tears brimming under her eyes. For once, they were of joy instead of hopelessness.

"Thanks sis," said Tatsumaki. "You…you're a really good sister too."

"I'll support you as best I can," said Fubuki. "Even though…even though it's really hard right now…" She choked up, her voice growing thin as she cried out her last few words.

"Hey," said Tatsumaki, turning back around to see that Fubuki had slipped her new dress on and was crying into her arm. "Sis, it's ok, it's gonna be ok, we can get through this."

She walked over to Fubuki and wrapped her arms around her torso, burying the side of her head against Fubuki's ribs. Fubuki sniffled at her big sister and hugged her back, pressing Tatsumaki into her stomach.

"Thanks sis," said Fubuki. "Things would be…really hard without you right now."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Tatsumaki.

"If they…if they hurt you, or even…" said Fubuki, her throat seizing up on her as she struggled to speak. "Killed you, I don't know if I could keep going…"

"It's not going to happen," said Tatsumaki. Even as she spoke, a river of ice flowed down her back and into her veins, forcing her to shiver. "Just…just don't think about it in that way, we'll get through this I promise."

"Would you keep going…" said Fubuki. "If they killed me?"

Tatsumaki felt her arms go numb even as she tightened her grasp around Fubuki. Her mind screamed at her not to think about it.

"I…I don't want to think about that," said Tatsumaki. "I'd…be devastated if you were gone sis, but if I gave up…everyone might give up…and if Secter came back…"

"You think he will?" asked Fubuki.

"I do," said Tatsumaki. "I'm sure wherever he is, he's doing everything he can to get back to us. Maybe Sycamore's with him, I don't know."

"I like to think they're both still alive," said Fubuki. "But it's just so hard, I feel so hopeless…"

"I know, I know," said Tatsumaki. "But if we give up, then Silan wins. That's what he wants, and I won't let that happen."

"I know," said Fubuki. "Maybe you're just stronger than me."

"You've lost more than I have," said Tatsumaki. "You just went through something utterly terrible, I don't blame you for feeling so hopeless. I want to do everything I can to get that hope back, even if it's going to be…hard."

Tatsumaki sighed as she let go of her sister, Fubuki steadying herself upright as she released Tatsumaki.

"I won't lie, I know it'll be difficult," said Tatsumaki. "But you have to hold on, do it for me, do it for Secter, and Saitama and Sycamore and everyone else. The more we hold on and stick together, the better our chances are of getting out of this ok."

"You're right," said Fubuki, a small smile stretching across her face. "I know, I know, you're right. Though now with Atomic Samurai…"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki, her face turning dark as she clenched her hands into fists. "I'm going to have a little chat with him real soon."

She turned away from Fubuki and walked over to a corner to change into her new dress, Fubuki leaning down to pick her bloodied one off the floor. After Tatsumaki was done changing, the two of them left for the outside, dropping both ruined dresses outside of the door. They made their way over to Metal Bat's hut, with Tatsumaki giving a cursory glance over at Vastal. He was still sitting at the table along with Viskel, who was breathing heavily as Vastal gestured back and forth in the air with his hand. She kept walking until the two of them reached the door to the hut. With a quick exhalation out of her nose, Tatsumaki pushed the door open and reached over to her sister's waist to help her inside.

Atomic Samurai stood pressed with his back to the wall, all of the members of the group standing in front of him. Genos sat on the floor, still missing his limbs but participating the group glaredown. Atomic Samurai's face was drenched in sweat, his hands splayed out against the metal as he remained trapped with no way out.

"Listen guys," said Atomic Samurai. "It's not like what I said matters! Silan would've found out anyways!"

"It's not that," said Bang. "It's the fact you sold both us and Vastal out for your own gain. You wanted to escape at our peril."

"Look, he might be one of em, but Vastal's not so bad and he's the only chance we got right now," said Metal Bat, his eyes turning white as he glared down at a cowering samurai. "And you tried to ruin it just so you could get away."

"Guys come on…" said Atomic Samurai. "It's harmless, I'm sure Silan won't kill Vastal…"

"You don't know that," said Tatsumaki, shouldering her way through to the front of the group. Dark circles hung underneath her eyes, her shoulders hunched as the rest of the group got out of her way. Fubuki followed close behind her, keeping one hand on Tatsumaki's shoulder to steady herself. "You don't know what you just caused."

"Guys…" said Atomic Samurai. "Just wait…"

"I say we beat the shit out of em," said Metal Bat. "He ain't one of us."

"Yeah," said Garou, smacking his hands together. "Damned traitor."

King shuffled nervously towards the corner while Bang advanced closer, eyes darting around the room as he waited for the rest of the group to come along.

"Hold on," said Tatsumaki. "He's a piece of shit for sure, but beating him up isn't going to help us. Much as I want to."

"But what if he tries to betray us again?" asked Saitama, his arms folded over his chest. "Honestly I'm ok with beating him up, but if we decide not to, then clearly we gotta restrain him or something so he doesn't rat us out again."

"With what?" asked Tatsumaki. "And Metal Bat, Garou, get over here. We hit him, and Silan wins."

"What?" asked Metal Bat. "What do you mean?"

"He wants to tear us down, turn us more like him," said Tatsumaki. "Or his people or something, I don't know. I don't…know what the hell he really wants."

"He just likes to torture us all, for his entertainment," said Saitama. "And our last chance at getting back or away from him might've just been destroyed."

"Guys…" said Fubuki. "Just calm down for a sec…"

"I still want to beat that stupid look off his face," snarled Garou. "You sniveling bastard."

"I don't know about this…" said Bang. "He's disappointed me utterly, but Tatsumaki has a point…"

"Trust me I want to beat the crap out of him too," said Tatsumaki. "But it's not going to get us anywhere."

"Then what do you suggest we do with him?!" asked Metal Bat. "Silan might bring my sister back because of this asshole!"

"He might've done that anyways…" said Saitama.

"We leave him in here for now," said Tatsumaki.

A pitter-patter sound washed down the roof, torrents of water colliding onto the metal above. Tatsumaki flinched at the sound before recomposing herself.

"Listen to her," said Atomic Samurai. "Listen to the esper!"

"My name," said Tatsumaki, a thin green aura coating her hair as it started to drift around her head. "Is Tatsumaki. And you know this."

"Sorry, sorry," said Atomic Samurai. "But-"

"Shut it," said Tatsumaki. "I don't want to hear any more from you."

Atomic Samurai slumped against the wall of the hut, no longer meeting the gazes of those above him. He seemed to melt into a pile of fabric, head dipping down beneath his robes and his black ponytail scraping against the wall behind him.

"We'll just have him sit there," said Tatsumaki. "Garou, Metal Bat, don't try anything. I don't want to have to immobilize you."

Garou sneered over at Tatsumaki while Metal Bat crossed his arms and stand his ground. They watched.

"Good," said Tatsumaki. "Look, we can just leave him here until we-"

The door slammed itself open. Fubuki's hand over Tatsumaki's shoulder turned into a sharpened claw, digging into her muscles. Tatsumaki twitched, turning around to see a panicked Viskel standing at the entrance. Water dripped from his chin as rain cascaded all around him, flickering around his body.

"All of you come out," said Viskel, breathing hard. "Now you've done it."

"Viskel, we didn't want this…" said King.

Viskel swiveled around and shuffled back over to the table, his head hung low. In the distance, Tatsumaki could see Vastal slumped over the table as Silan stood next to him, his grin glowing amongst the monsoon.

. . .

Everyone had gathered in the courtyard, rain soaking them all as it turned the air into a series of thin silver layers. Tatsumaki stood at the front of the group, her sister to her left and Saitama to her right.

"Greetings everyone, my apologies for the conditions but I think they're quite fitting," said Silan. He chuckled, his chest shuddering.

Next to him stood Viskel. Streams of water fell all down his face as he stared down at the dirt below, his world phasing out all around him.

"Did you…did you kill him?" asked Tatsumaki.

Silan nudged Vastal, who started to rise. He grunted as his head cleared the table, a thin drip of yellow falling from his chin. A tiny abyss of dark yellow streaked across the side of his forehead, the source of the drizzle.

"He's in for a rough time of course," said Silan. "I did put him in charge, but then he had to go too far…"

"Leave him be," said Tatsumaki, her voice as stern as she could try to make it. Nearly drowned out by the rain, she shouted. "Leave him be!"

Silan cocked his head as Vastal's eyes widened.

"You shouldn't do that," said Silan. "Try to give orders to your superiors. Do it again, and I'll turn your sister into a mewling mass of flesh, just watch me."

Tatsumaki closed her mouth, her fists shaking.

"Good," said Silan. "Now, I've been doing some thinking for your punishment, and in light of my…hasty actions earlier, I've decided to kind of…combine all of your punishments into one. Let you decide as you well! Heh heh."

_Let me fucking guess… _thought Tatsumaki. _Another group vote…_

"That's precisely right Tatsumaki, you know me too well," said Silan, snickering something vile as he finished his sentence. "You all will decide who in your group will die, and then we'll call it a day."

Atomic Samurai had shuffled out to the back of the group, hunching over in his mass of clothes. He peered up as rain drenched his pale forehead.

"But…not me though right?" asked Atomic Samurai. "I'm immune, right?"

"I said you were immune to punishment from _me_," said Silan. "Not punishment from your group. If your companions wish for your death, then so be it."

"No," said Atomic Samurai, shaking his head. "No, no, no, that doesn't make sense!"

"Oh?" asked Silan.

"That…that goes against the rules, or something!" said Atomic Samurai. "You're making this all up as you go, none of this makes sense!"

"This all makes sense in my context, and the rules have not changed," said Silan. "As arbitrary as you make them out to be, they are more than clear. Now shut your mouth and let your group decide."

He peered down at Vastal, who was squinting over at Atomic Samurai.

"And as for you," said Silan. "You know that you stepped out of bounds. You will be beaten."

Vastal stretched his back muscles, both hands clamping down onto the table. He sighed.

"Ah…" said Viskel. "Oh…" His stomach was churning at his God's words.

"Something to say, Viskel?" asked Silan.

"No…" said Viskel. "Just…no."

"You know how it needs to be, you've known our ways for a long time," said Silan. "This is nothing new."

Viskel scuffed his feet along the ground, wrapping himself in his arms.

"Decide amongst yourselves!" said Silan. "You all know the drill."

"We're not doing it again," said Tatsumaki. "It's enough."

Saitama stepped forward, raising a fist at Silan.

"Yeah, screw this!" said Saitama. "We're sick of your shit!"

Fubuki gasped at the two of them.

"You…you sure…" she said.

"I'm through with this, I know what he's trying to do," said Tatsumaki. "No more."

Silan chuckled, quieter than usual. So quiet in fact, that Tatsumaki couldn't tell that he was even laughing until she saw his shoulders moving against the rain. His grin widened.

"Vastal, you must've emboldened them more than I thought," said Silan. "All of you, I'm instilling a new, temporary rule, as you're starting to piss me off. You will not speak to me or either of my subordinates here, you are only allowed to talk amongst each other to decide who among you will die. If you say a word to me, _a single fucking word_! Then I'll start killing or maiming at my discretion."

Tatsumaki opened her mouth but slammed it back closed. Saitama glared with Silan with more hate than he had ever felt in his life, every fiber of his being aimed at somehow making Silan suffer. Silan showed no signs of changing.

"Please…don't…" said Atomic Samurai. He buried his head in his hands as the group circled around him, only Tatsumaki standing outside the makeshift circle. "I don't want to die…"

"You have less than a minute, or else I get to choose," said Silan, grinding his teeth together as he stared at the group. "Trust me, you won't like the decision. And remember, amongst yourselves."

"Wait…" said Atomic Samurai. "Guys…"

"He's got my vote," said Garou. "Make this quick and easy."

"Sorry samurai, but you've got mine too," said Metal Bat.

"Oh come on…" said Saitama. "There's gotta be something better than this…"

Tatsumaki stared at Atomic Samurai as he wept into his hands, shivering as he crouched to his knees. He was a little ball of misery, tiny against the standing frames of everyone else in the group.

"I guess…we don't have a choice…" said King.

"If we don't pick, Silan could kill more than one," said Genos. "Atomic Samurai seems optimal."

Vastal slammed both fists on the table, startling Silan out from his haze of staring at the group.

"No need for this," said Vastal. "Don't have to kill any of em. None of this shit's working anyways."

"You trying to suggest something better?" asked Silan. "I don't think you fully comprehend the weight of your actions right now Vastal, perhaps you need to _get your head checked._"

"Oh no…" said Viskel, his voice seeping with fear. "Vastal, now's not the time…"

"I'd listen to your friend," said Silan. His eyes were like searchlights down onto Vastal's bloodied head, boring into his skull and burning his brain. Vastal blinked but continued to rise. He met Silan at eye level, only having to look slightly upwards to do so.

"Just let em off with something lighter," said Vastal. "You said light punishments yet then you went and killed someone not even involved. The samurai is right, you're stretching the rules here."

"I am God," said Silan. "Have you ever read stories about gods, of any kind?"

Vastal shook his head.

"If you had, then you would know that they can seem arbitrary, and cruel," said Silan. "But in truth, they are just simply beyond your understanding."

Vastal narrowed his eyes up at Silan. Tatsumaki could see the slightest hint of a frown tugging at his lips.

Silan reached out behind him, and pulled out a grey staff, several feet in length. Yellow streaks of light glowed through cracks all along the weapon. Shaking his head, Silan swung the staff to the side, catching Vastal in the head and knocking him into the table. Blood sprayed out from where the tip of the staff sliced open one of Vastal's cheeks, the muddy ground surrounding the table stained yellow from where a pattern of droplets landed below.

Tatsumaki took a step forward, aware of the horrified looks the group was projecting towards Vastal. He picked himself back up, glaring at Silan for his transgression. Viskel gave a tiny yelp at his fallen friend, turning and bolting from the table straight towards the infirmary. As Vastal started to rise, he was smacked back down by Silan, his staff ripping through the air and colliding into Vastal's spine.

Vastal crashed through the table, ripping the furniture in two as he collapsed into the mud below. Snarling at the ground through gnashed teeth, Vastal spat out a chunk of dirt as he slapped both hands down, sinking into the earth.

"The weakest bastard is the one who has to smack his people down for their loyalty," said Vastal. "Might not've read about the gods, but I still know a weak one when I see one."

"I disagree," said Silan. "I think the truly weak are those who refuse to stand even when they know they should." He raised both arms in the air, his staff pointed down like a guillotine blade over its victim.

"Wait-" said Tatsumaki.

Silan plunged the staff through Vastal's back, splitting through armor and flesh alike. Vastal gasped in sheer pain, collapsing back down onto the mud as the staff ripped all the way out from his back through his torso. Embedding itself in the dirt upon which Vastal lay, the staff vibrated in the air as it shimmered in the rain. Silan let go of the staff, his arms spreading to his sides. Admiring his feat of violence, Silan turned back over to Tatsumaki, who had stepped close enough to Vastal to reach out to him.

"Ass…hole…" said Vastal, his hands gripping at the dirt. He struggled to find hold as the world gave way under his grasp, his eyes bulging as pain shot through his chest. Small craters formed on the ground below as he breathed into it.

Silan scowled and gripped the staff again, tearing and twisting it out from Vastal. A gory arc followed the weapon as Silan raised it into the air for another strike. Vastal clenched his jaws together, his insides going numb as the steel left his body. Crawling forward, Vastal could feel a rush of warmth exiting his torso, splashing down all below him and spilling out from his sides. He groaned, eyes closing as he waited for the next strike.

Tatsumaki dashed forward, mud and dirt alike being ripped into the air as her shoes tore through the ground. She grabbed onto Vastal, her body hovering over his as she pulled him forward. Such colossal effort only brought Vastal a few inches away from Silan, but Silan froze nonetheless.

"Stop," said Tatsumaki. "Stop this!"

Silan smiled at Tatsumaki, sweet and cold at the same time. He lowered his staff to waist level.

"What do you think you're doing, Tatsumaki?" asked Silan. "Do you wish for everyone in your group to be killed?"

Tatsumaki quaked with fear, her hands clenched over the ridges in Vastal's armor. No one in the group dared to move except for Fubuki, who took a single step in Tatsumaki's direction, a thin arm outstretched. Silan chuckled.

In a flash he was in front of Fubuki, swinging his staff upwards and smashing its side into her chest. Fubuki screamed out in pain, her voice overcoming the torrent of water all around her, and she fell over backwards, slamming onto her back. A single stream of blood ran from her mouth as she propped herself on the backs of her arms, eyes wide with terror as Silan loomed over her.

"You get the hell away from her!" said Tatsumaki. She dropped Vastal to the ground, running over to Silan only to be knocked back as Silan swept her legs with his staff. Her neck burying itself into the mud as she fell, Tatsumaki immediately grasped at the ground and propped herself back up. Silan swung his staff back and smacked Tatsumaki in the side, Tatsumaki shrieking as she felt her ribs once again crack from the impact of a deadly blow. She stumbled, her repeated panicked clutches at the impact point only sending waves of pain throughout her body.

"Alright, that's fuckin enough!" said Saitama. He reeled back and sent a punch rocketing towards the back of Silan's head, Silan smiling down at a shuddering Tatsumaki.

Genos was sitting propped up against Metal Bat's hut, his eyes widening when he saw Saitama's fist heading straight for an unaware Silan.

_He doesn't see, _thought Genos. _Could this be…could master still do it?_

The rain itself parted as Saitama's fist connected with the back of Silan's head, flushing away in a massive canyon of open air. For a moment, everything around them was clear, Saitama's fingers still brushing up against the back of Silan's head. Saitama frowned as he realized that Silan had not moved an inch, and the rain returned.

"You are all so riled up about this," said Silan. "About what I thought."

He whipped around, his body turning into a black tornado with a swerving pole of steel tearing through the air along with him. The pole smacked into Saitama, sending him flying thirty feet away from the rest of the group. He skidded through the mud until he slammed into Tatsumaki's hut, the wall reverberating as skull met metal.

"Saitama!" shouted Genos.

Saitama lay there for a second. Slowly, he raised one hand to pull himself up, the other firmly pressing against his side. Blood was oozing out from a gash along his chest all the way to his back, the pole having ripped through his skin from Silan's swing.

_This hasn't…happened in so long… _thought Saitama. _Aside from when that bastard hit me on the head…agh, it hurts…_

Bang, Garou, and Metal Bat advanced towards Silan, with Atomic Samurai slowly backing away from the group closer to Genos. Silan stood resolute.

All three were suddenly crumpled to the ground, folding over themselves as their muscles contorted uncontrollably. They writhed and gasped as they struggled to retain control over their bodies, yet their minds would not react to their requests. They only answered to Silan.

King was the only one left standing where the group once was. He looked to his right. Saitama was laying against the hut, his lips curled upwards as he fought the pain to get back up. To his front. Silan stood grinning while Fubuki clutched at her stomach. Further ahead. Vastal lay staring into the dirt while Tatsumaki stood next to him, her breathing harsh and quick. All around. The last fighters of the group writhed in the mud and rain. King did his best not to cry.

"Anything to add, King?" asked Silan. "The _strongest human_?"

King took a step back. His luck had run out, there could be no questioning it. Was there anything he could do? Fear overtook his brain, and he took yet another step back. Silan advanced towards him, his grip tightening over his staff.

"Silan," said Tatsumaki.

Silan stopped at her voice, raspy and strained like she had just finished choking on a mouthful of water.

"You realize what you're doing, right?" asked Tatsumaki.

For once, Silan was confused. He could've looked into her mind to discover the answer, but he grinned with intrigue as he turned around. Tatsumaki met his gaze, and he enjoyed it.

"Oh?" asked Silan.

"You're the weak one here," said Tatsumaki. "Everyone knows it. You want to break us, is that it? Is that it?!"

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "Don't, please…he'll kill you…"

"Seems to be going beautifully," said Silan. "Over time-"

"We _won't_," said Tatsumaki. "We know what you are, we all blame you for all the terrible things that have happened because it's your fault. All you are is a fucking psychopath, a sadistic, horrible, piece of shit, and we're not going to take this anymore!"

Tatsumaki gasped as she clutched at her side. There was a good chance she was bleeding internally, her ribs like daggers within her own skin as she touched them.

"You have no choice," said Silan. "You're all faltering too, I can tell…"

"You have to kill us, or beat us," said Tatsumaki. "You have to make us afraid to have your little plans work. You don't know how to do anything else. That's why you're so damned pathetic."

_Vastal please, now's the time, just get up, I know you can… _thought Tatsumaki.

She didn't dare look behind her to reveal her plan. Part of her also feared looking back as she might see Vastal dead as well.

"You're putting all your friends at risk just to stand up to me?" asked Silan. "Tsk tsk, so unlike you Tatsumaki."

"You could kill us at any time," said Tatsumaki. "We all know that. But you're just prolonging it to torture us. You _like _torturing us."

"Ah, taking a gamble eh?" asked Silan. "Risky, Tatsumaki."

"I take a stand…" said Tatsumaki. "Not because it's the safe thing to do, but because it's unsafe. Because I want everyone to know, that we don't need to be afraid. That we don't need to succumb to degenerates like you, to answer you're every goddamned order, to become the kind of people you want us to be."

Tears flowed out from Tatsumaki's face, running hot over her cheeks. They melded with the rain which had drenched her hair and body alike, her entire frame running with water. She shook with pain, with fear, with the tiniest amount of hope. It was like a tiny spark amongst the torrential rain, glowing and fading and glowing again, Tatsumaki reaching out to touch it but her bruised ribs, injured so many times over and over, would not allow her. She cried out in pain, her eyes burning.

Stumbling back, Tatsumaki's hand found the top of Vastal's armor, a great hill of grey sitting in the dirt. She rubbed at the cold metal, her eyes going wide. It was if the motionless mountain of steel were the only thing left Tatsumaki could lean on.

"Vastal…" she said.

"How cute," said Silan, his grin curling upwards in yellow cracks along his cheeks. "He's not going to help you."

"Get up, please…" said Tatsumaki. "We need your help…"

"Go on, you heard her," said Silan. "You've taken much worse, get up!"

Vastal heaved as he pushed himself to his knees, two torn-up arms like stilts as he stretched himself upwards. He put one hand over his leg as he stood, exhaling with harsh little breaths as he finally stood.

"Now leave," said Silan. "Go back to the main building."

Vastal stood in his place, his eyes trained on Tatsumaki. She stared back at him, so small and filled with despair under the armored titan. Sighing, Vastal turned around.

"You should've been quiet…" said Vastal.

_No, _thought Tatsumaki. _No, no, no, no, no…_

That was enough for Atomic Samurai. He bolted as Vastal headed back towards the courtyard, sprinting headlong for the fences as Silan kept his back turned.

_Fuck this, fuck this, _thought Atomic Samurai. _Tatsumaki's plan failed, they're all trying to get me killed, that fence isn't even that high, I can probably climb it-_

His body became free of skin as he ran towards the fence. Continuing on for a few seconds as a walking anatomy sculpture, Atomic Samurai stopped for a moment, turning to look down in shock as he realized that both his skin and clothes lay shed to the ground. He gurgled, blood filling his mouth and dripping from the raw muscles which were becoming soaked by the rain. Then he collapsed, a twitching heap of pink and red.

Tatsumaki's mouth filled with the burning sensation of vomit, but she choked it back down, filling her stomach yet again as she gagged. Fubuki screamed, covering her eyes with her hands as she turned her head from the scene. Saitama stared at what was left of Atomic Samurai in shock, blinking as if he were trying to wake from a bad dream.

"Well, he had the majority of the votes," said Silan.

King fell to his knees. He stared down at the ground, letting the rain cascade around him.

"I don't know Tatsumaki, they all look pretty defeated to me…" said Silan.

"You can't…you can't keep doing this…" said Tatsumaki.

"I can, and you know it," said Silan. "Face it Tatsumaki, you've lost."

"We won't…we won't break for you," said Tatsumaki. "We'll keep fighting, find a way…"

Silan burst out laughing, a vile cackle filled with phlegm and sadistic joy.

"Ahhh, now I want to speak to you," said Silan. "_Alone_."

All of the members of the group vanished from sight. Only Tatsumaki and Silan stood alone outside the huts.

Panic overtook Tatsumaki. What did he just do with her sister? Where did everyone go? God forbid, did he kill any more? She clutched at the sides of her head as she fell to her knees, her sobbing erupting through the air. Tatsumaki bawled, her teeth clattering together as every retch brought on by her crying sent fiery hot knives into her ribs.

"Do not worry Tatsumaki," said Silan. "All the rest are alive for now."

"You…you," said Tatsumaki. "Just stop this…please…"

"Took quite the risk there," said Silan. "Was that all? All your chips on Vastal, of all people?"

"I had nothing else," said Tatsumaki. "What do you want from me…"

"Oh, you have done all that I wanted," said Silan. "Quite beautifully. You see, you're my favorite of the group, because I could tell you were the strongest. The one who could take the most damage. This was part of the reason why I didn't kill that Volunteer oh so long ago, so you could have the faintest hope that he might live up in the Nothing, give you even more to hold on to. It's all about time, you see Tatsumaki. Pressure and pain over time, and frankly, you have the most out of anyone right now."

"I…can't let them…" said Tatsumaki.

"Fall?" asked Silan. "Of course not. For whatever reason, you fancy yourself as some kind of leader, seem so concerned about the others. But if I were you, I'd be looking for any way to get myself out. Your sister too, I suppose."

"No, I'm not betraying anyone," said Tatsumaki. "I won't. I won't be what you want me to be."

"You made that clear," said Silan. "Quite the move."

"And…you're going to blame me for what comes next, aren't you. You'll try to make me feel like it's my fault."

"Honestly, I wish that you were feeling the guilt even now. But I think it will come, in due time."

"Please…please don't…"

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears Tatsumaki. You knew the rules."

"I didn't…I didn't even…"

"You did speak to me when I said not to. But don't worry Tatsumaki, despite your outburst, I am in a good mood."

Tatsumaki's world was crumbling. She knew she had never had much, but even her tiny spark of hope was getting drowned out by the rain. Perhaps she had never had much.

"You look so down, Tatsumaki," said Silan. He stepped closer to her, dropping his staff into the mud. It landed into the soft earth and sunk into it, becoming half-submerged within seconds. "Was it really your only plan to just stand up to me and hope it would influence Vastal enough to try and fight?"

"We can't fight you…you won't listen…all I can do is try and support my friends," said Tatsumaki.

"Vastal wouldn't even come close to winning," said Silan. "He may be experienced, but I have the power of five Soulless. And here I thought that little incident with Greidhof showed that."

"You just…rule through fear and hate," said Tatsumaki. "Why us? Why don't you find someone else to fucking torture?!"

"Oh you were merely a coincidence," said Silan. "We were looking for some people to rule over and happened by in your neighborhood. Then we noticed a little incident with a Soulless on a planet nearby and it helped catch our attention. Though, we would've gone there regardless."

Tatsumaki's eyes widened, dark little streams still flowing freely from the bottoms of them.

"So it wasn't Sycamore's fault…" said Tatsumaki.

"Hah," said Silan. "It's certainly possible it was…" He was standing over her now, blocking the rain as his body hung over her like an umbrella of looming shadow. White strands of fabric hung from his waist as he smiled at Tatsumaki. "I'm sure he blames himself either way…"

Tatsumaki sniffled. Despair had crept into every recess of her mind. There seemed to be no hope, none whatsoever. The more she thought, the more this felt certain, felt horrifically right. But then…

_Secter, _she thought. _He has to be still alive. Looking for us, searching for a way out, doing everything he can, I know he would. He'd do anything for me, anything for us…_

"Vastal is cut off from empathy," said Silan. "He knows it, and I know it. He has no reason to help you if he's fine with things staying the same…"

"Just leave us alone," said Tatsumaki. "I've got nothing else to say to you."

"A shame," said Silan. "But I hope you hold on to that hope for as long as you can, Tatsumaki. Try to inspire your friends even as they fall one by one. Oh, it'll be such a joy to watch."

Tatsumaki glared up at Silan. She felt like the air around her was burning with the hate she projected from every fiber of her being.

"You underestimate us," said Tatsumaki. "You won't win Silan, it takes more than fear to bring down a hero."

"And yet here you are quaking and crying," said Silan. "In case you're wondering, yes, I do have plans for your sister. Very, very _soon_."

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "Touch. Her."

"She's going to be more worried for you for the time being, I'm afraid."

"What?"

"It's getting late Tatsumaki. It's time for you to rest."

Silan's body snapped forward like a snake, his arms extending out and his hands wrapping themselves around Tatsumaki's throat. He pushed her to the ground with the strength of millions, Tatsumaki falling back and sinking into the mud as her esophagus was crushed under Silan's grip. Gasping, Tatsumaki tried to inhale, but her throat had turned thinner than the width of a straw, only the tiniest amount of air going in. As she tried to exhale, Silan clamped her throat closed.

She scratched at Silan's arms, but it was like clawing the side of a tank, more damage being done to her fingers than to the appendages themselves. Silan grinned, his eyes turning wild with a sadistic light as Tatsumaki's face turned bright red. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, no air or sound escaping from her throat. Mud began to slide down around her face and over her teeth as she clenched her jaws together, veins bulging out from the sides of her head.

Her skin was turning dark purple now, Silan just barely easing up on the constriction to allow a tiny amount of air to escape. As Tatsumaki struggled to take the smallest of breaths, unheard beneath the rain, Silan slammed her further into the ground, Tatsumaki's head dipping beneath the mud and water. Both poured into her mouth.

Tatsumaki felt like screaming as her vision went dark, grit on her tongue as she tried to spit out flood of dirt. Breathing was like trying to swallow a marble, only the tiniest of slivers in her throat still functioning as Silan closed the walls of her esophagus together. Tatsumaki tried to flail her arms, reaching out as if someone were there to grab her and pull her away. For a brief moment she could see the sky again, before a wave of water and mud rushed down onto her eyes and forcing them closed. Tatsumaki waved in the dark, stretching out further and further until she could've sworn her fingers touched something. Somehow, it felt like glass.

Her heart rammed against her chest, pain exploding all along her ribcage. It wouldn't stop hammering, the beating of her heart, it wouldn't stop hammering. It kept going faster and faster, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't get out, they were holding her down… where was her sister?

"Secter…" gasped Tatsumaki, the last vestiges of her breath exiting her throat. "Help…help me…someone help…"

Walls enclosed around her, her mouth completely filled with mud and water even as Silan's crushing of her throat refused to permit most of it from entering down into her stomach. Tatsumaki's eyes rolled back into her head as her mind went numb, a white haze clouding the world around her. She wished for the glass to go away, and laid her arms down, no longer able to fight.

"Secter…" she mouthed. "Anyone…"

But in that moment, she was alone. It all went dark.


	9. Chapter 9

Secter opened his eyes. Above, a thin string of white light hung from a yellow ceiling, a solid piece of structure with a metallic sheen. He groaned, his body feeling stiff as a shelf of ice. Turning to his side, he looked down at his arm to see it was wrapped entirely in bandages, a thick coating of white and yellow gauze swirling all down his forearm.

_What the hell… _thought Secter. _Where am I?_

He shuffled around as he realized that there was a blanket over his body, a mattress beneath him as he lay on top of an elevated bed. It was surprisingly comfortable, the blanket fuzzy and warm, and the mattress underneath soft and plushy. Glancing around, Secter saw a series of other beds aligned against a wall, all glaring white under the light above.

A door creaked open and Secter turned to spot a Soulless with a sleek helmet that streamed forwards over his head, a rainbow of colors all streaking along the top. The helm was birdlike in appearance, ending in two long spikes that curved upwards like the top and bottom of a beak. A couple of dark slits served as eyeholes along the side of the helmet and the Soulless stepped over to the bed, Secter reeling back in response.

"Ah, you're awake my friend!" said the Soulless. He spread his arms wide, as if to hug the very air itself. "Good to see, good to see!"

"What…" said Secter, his throat dry as he spoke. "Who are you?"

"You may call me a Drumlord," said the Soulless. "Of the Drummers, of course!"

"Drumlord?" asked Secter. He was almost too tired to even question it anymore.

"Haven't heard of us?" asked the Drumlord. "One of our comrades ran into your group, saw you quite wounded… Ah but no worries, no worries, we'll get that cleared up soon."

"My group…" said Secter. "Where am I, what happened to my friends?"

"Oh! We found you and your poor friends out on the road, presumably after engaging with the enemy! Those vile bastards, the painbringers, the Supremacy!"

"Where are they?" asked Secter. "Sycamore, and Koros."

"They're doing just fine, in a different hut," said the Drumlord. "They're going to be alright, and you will be too. It's a good thing your…drunken friend dragged you out of that hall, otherwise we might not've found you on the road! You took quite a beating I'm afraid, surely must've been in a lot of pain! That just won't do, won't do at all!"

"Still hurts…" said Secter. "But…thanks I guess, for helping us out. Why though, why help us?"

"We are friends to all those who fight the pain," said the Drumlord. "And oh! Still hurting I see. Well, I'll be right back, have something just for that."

He rubbed the top of his helmet, the colors shining against the metal it was painted against. The Drumlord hummed to himself as he left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Secter collapsed back down on the bed, his bandaged arm like a log at his side. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into, if his friends were actually okay, if he was going to get out of here alright, if Tatsumaki-

Tatsumaki.

Secter's eyes began to water, streams flowing down the sides of his cheeks. His heart turned sore, feeling black as the shadows against the wall. He sank into the bed. Pain wrapped him up tight into a curled position.

_Tatsu… _he thought. _She could be gone right now, she could be dead and I wouldn't even know, this could all be for nothing…_

_ I should've fought harder, I should've gone straight for Silan…_

_ I should've kept that musician guy away, then Sycamore could've helped me in the hall…_

_ Maybe…maybe even shot that creature earlier, Sycamore wouldn't have been hurt as bad…_

_ And if we were all still ok, maybe we could've kept going, we could've found something, could've gotten back…_

_ I'm so sorry everyone, I keep trying but it's so hard… it's so hard…_

The door flung itself open and a black ooze dripped its way through, filling the doorway up to the brim with liquid darkness. Secter sat upright, one arm limp at his side and the other wrapped over his stomach. His blood flowed like icewater, thin and freezing cold.

A pair of eyes glowed out from the ooze, and as it dripped itself closer, a series of arms with gnarled black hands reached out from its chest and towards Secter.

One by one, the hands pointed at him. A giant pole materialized from behind the creature and it gripped it with one of its arms. It swung it down towards Secter, a great block of a blade affixed to the end of the pole which gleamed in the light. Secter saw his own reflection in the steel, pale and afraid.

"No," said Secter. "Not again, it's not happening again!"

He flung his good arm up to block his face, the blade slicing down through part of his forearm before evaporating as it drew within inches of his stomach. The creature faded from existence, its eyes and arms and dripping form no longer visible. Not a speck of the being was left in the room, but a fresh new cut had been torn through Secter's arm, stinging and leaking blood. He dropped his arm onto his chest, gasping for breath as if he had just narrowly escaped drowning.

"I'm back!" said the Drumlord from the doorway. "Hey, who opened the door?"

The Drumlord glanced down at Secter, a fresh splatter of red all over the sheets. He stiffened.

"How on earth?" asked the Drumlord. He set a syringe filled with scarlet liquid and a heap of bandages off to the side on a nearby bed and approached Secter, who looked over with a sickly pallor over his face.

"Hmm," said the Drumlord. "Wound from nowhere eh…certainly not good…"

"I'm alright," said Secter. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it."

"I don't want that," said Secter, pointing at the vial of red. His sudden movement sent blood flickering onto the floor. "Sorry, but I can do without the red stuff."

"Ah, if you insist," said the Drumlord. "But you're missing out."

"No…no thanks," said Secter. "Agh." He brought his arm back to his chest, wincing in pain.

The Drumlord walked back and snatched up the bandages, returning to Secter and reaching out to lift Secter's arm up. Secter let him grip the edges of his arm, the Drumlord humming a little tune as he wrapped Secter's new wound. After he was done, the Drumlord wandered back over to the other bed and grabbed the vial, heading towards the exit. He gave one last look over to Secter.

"Well, I wish you a speedy recovery," said the Drumlord. "For now you should get some rest, though I hope you'll be able to make it to the drum session soon! It's quite a treat, everyone will be there!"

"Everyone?" asked Secter.

"Yes, I imagine even your friends too, you were in the worst shape of all three, though the Soulless fellow was hurting bad as well."

"Hope they turn out ok…"

"They'll be fine, solving pain is what we do! I will see you around, mister Secter. Believe that's your name right? That Koros fellow said so."

"Yeah," said Secter. "It is."

The Drumlord began to turn away, heading towards the hallway beyond the room when he heard Secter's voice again.

"And thanks," said Secter. "For helping us."

"No problem," said the Drumlord, his voice full of cheer. "Not everyone has to be so cruel, you know?"

"Yeah," said Secter, a tiny smile on his face. "I know."

. . .

Secter wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, only that he had drifted back into slumber not long after the Drumlord had left. His arm still hung limp at his side, though the bandages glowed bright as they helped him through the healing process yet again. Sitting upright, Secter rubbed at his head with his other arm, reeling back as he realized just how badly he stunk of blood and sweat. It embalmed his entire body, clothes and all, a rusty and oily scent like that of an old bucket left out in the rain too long. Groaning as he rose from the bed, Secter noticed a new set of clothes left out on a hanger by the wall, a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He squinted in surprise at the clothes, shrugged, and put them on. The shirt was a bit baggy, but the jeans fit just fine.

He winced as he pushed the door open, pain shooting up from his stomach up to his chest. Ignoring it as best he could, Secter limped down a well-lit hallway, shuffling along until the sounds of hundreds of drums echoed forth from somewhere beyond. It was as if an entire parade of drums all of kinds were being beaten just a few halls away, and Secter started to drag himself along towards the sound, one eyebrow raised. Along the way a Soulless in a bright red set of body armor spotted him, running over to a suspicious Secter as he smiled from one side of his face to the other.

"Welcome friend!" said the Soulless. "You must be Secter, the one from the infirmary?"

"That's me yeah," said Secter. "What's going on over there?" He jerked a thumb in the direction of the cacophony of sound.

"Oh, you're in for a treat!" said the Soulless. "We're just starting our second round of drumming, which means food will be served!"

"Drumming?"

"Yes, we always drum and play and wash our worries away!" said the Soulless. "It's a get together for everyone to relax and have fun and tell stories!"

"That…that sounds amazing," said Secter. He started to chuckle, as if what the Soulless was telling him was something he couldn't have imagined in a hundred years. "If it's what you say, it sounds so much better than everything else I've been through, everything else I've seen."

"Oh yes it's a rough go out there," said the Soulless. "But we Drummers fight back! We do not let the pain overtake us, we find our own way. We beat away the pain, the hate, the wickedness!"

"I see…" said Secter. "You all found your own way to deal with things I guess."

"Everyone is looking for a way to cope, everyone looks for their own path. One day we shall leave this great void as well, but for now, we gather as many people as we can and drum the day away!"

"Well, best of luck to you," said Secter. "Though for now, I'm just looking for my friends."

"Ah, they're probably in the circle!" said the Soulless. "Come, I'll show you!"

Secter followed the Soulless down a series of halls, some of which were missing chunks at the ceiling to reveal the white abyss above. Eventually they made it to a set of giant double doors, the Soulless pushing one aside to lead Secter into a circular chamber.

The chamber was a series of rows all surrounding a bonfire, Soulless in colorful sets of armor all hammering away on drums with tops of beige. The room was drowned out in sound, the whole area dark aside from the flickering light cast upon the walls by the raging bonfire. Secter followed the Soulless inside, his eyes wide with wonder as he looked all around the council of musicians. Each one was grinning or smiling with glee, pounding on their instruments, their arms turning blurry with every swing of their limbs. As Secter rounded the bonfire, he spotted Sycamore munching on an elongated sandwich and sitting beneath a row of drummers. He had a series of bandages across his chest and one over his head, but otherwise looked healthy and lively as he ate. Turning, Sycamore's mouth and sandwich dropped simultaneously and he dashed from his seat, running straight towards Secter and spreading his arms wide to hug him. The Soulless in red chuckled and stepped aside, heading back as Sycamore crashed into Secter, sending Secter stumbling back.

Secter laughed even as his body radiated with pain. Hugging Sycamore was a massive relief, and he wrapped his good arm around Sycamore as Sycamore leaned his head on Secter's chest.

"Careful," said Secter. "Still a bit sore myself."

"Sorry," said Sycamore, pulling himself away from Secter. Sycamore's eyes were shining with tears as they were illuminated by the bonfire, a big smile on his face. "But you're alive…they said they were worried when they brought you in."

"I'm alright," said Secter, smiling back. "Glad to see you're ok too."

"Yeah, they healed me right up," said Sycamore. "Was worried for you for a bit though, you were out for a little while."

"Really?" asked Secter, almost having to shout over the sounds of the drums. "How long?"

"Not really sure, always hard to tell here," said Sycamore. "But maybe a day or so."

"Well, I'm here now."

"And I'm glad. Koros will be glad too when he comes back."

"Can't say I'm convinced."

"Ah, he will be. He was asking the Drumlord about you too."

Secter rubbed at his limp arm, wincing a tiny amount. The skin underneath the bandage prickled and stung, a reminder of the constant pain of the world he was in.

"Come, sit!" said Sycamore. "Get something to eat! Surely you're hungry right?"

"Haven't thought about food," said Secter. "Still weird to me that I can go without it."

"Well, you're not going without it anymore," said Sycamore. "These guys have everything."

The two of them sat next to one another on a stone ledge at the lowest level of the cascading circular series of heights. Sycamore reached into a bag that was sitting on their ledge, pulling out a sandwich and handing it to Secter.

"Thanks," said Secter, bringing the sandwich up to his mouth. Staring down at it, there didn't seem to be anything unusual about the sandwich, two elongated loaves of bread hiding a series of slices of deli meat, tomatoes, and lettuce. Secter smiled from ear to ear before taking a bit. It was nothing out of the ordinary, like a five-dollar sandwich from any deli. In other words, it was heaven.

Secter scarfed down the sandwich as Sycamore munched away on his meal, the drums slowly dying down as the Soulless around them started to chat and eat their own assorted foods. Looking up, Secter spotted the Drumlord sipping a bottle of black bile and laughing along with another Soulless in a colorful columned helmet, the two of them having the time of their lives amongst the sea of other Drummers.

"So…" said Secter. "What's the deal with these guys? Know anything about them?"

"Never heard of them before, but they don't like the Supremacy and saved our lives," said Sycamore. "Koros and I got you back out to the road, and they found us. Put both me and Koros in an infirmary – actually, wonder where the hell Koros wandered off to."

"To be honest, I've learned most people no longer question what they do here," said Secter. "Seems like they all took their own paths. Though…that doesn't mean I'm not going to reflect on things."

"Yeah, I hear you," said Sycamore. "We've been through a lot, very, very quickly. Scatters the brain. No wonder people end up doing such strange things here…"

"True, but at least these people seem kind," said Secter.

"They are, especially the Drumlord," said Sycamore. "Invited me into here, got me all kinds of food, and even left this bag since he said he thought you'd be by at some point. Though to be honest, I'm surprised you're even up, are you feeling ok?"

"Still hurts, and pretty sure my arm's still broken," said Secter. "Not sure if it should be in a sling, shouldn't it be in a sling?"

"Nah, not when you're a Volunteer or Soulless," said Sycamore. "It sucks but it'll heal up. But at least you're up and moving around."

"Yeah, that's true…" said Secter. "But what about you, you feeling any better? You certainly look better."

"Much better," said Sycamore. "They got me back on my feet in no time. Just wish…wish I could've done more to help you out back at the hall."

Sycamore finished off his sandwich, swallowing down the last piece of bread. With a sigh, he began to stare into the flames, leaning his chin into his hands. He looked depressed all of a sudden, reflections on the past weighing him down.

"You alright Sycamore?" asked Secter. "Looks like there's something on your mind."

"There…is," said Sycamore. "I…am not sure how to put it…"

Secter reached across his chest and laid his hand over on Sycamore's shoulder, an awkward maneuver as he sat with his arm stretching past his neck. Nonetheless, he smiled over at Sycamore, who gave a weak smile in return.

"Hey," said Secter. "I'm here for ya Sycamore."

"Thanks," said Sycamore. "I know you always like to talk."

Secter dragged his arm back over his chest and laid it down next to him, grasping the edge of the ledge.

"I…" said Sycamore. "Have just been thinking. I haven't really been…any help to anyone."

"What?" asked Secter. It didn't make an ounce of sense to him.

"Well think about it. I'll bet everyone back at the camp blames me for bringing Silan, even if it's not true, and they probably all hate me for what I did, and I don't blame them, and here I've just gotten myself injured and couldn't even help in the damned hallway…"

Sycamore groaned as he brushed both hands over his face, peeking out through spread fingers.

"I really messed up, didn't I?" asked Sycamore. "I wish I could've talked more to Fubuki and everyone, told them how sorry I was…"

"Sycamore…" said Secter. "I guarantee that no one back home blames you for Silan. They've already had me, you, and…even that wretch the Commandant show up out of nowhere. It's just what we do."

"Yeah but…" said Sycamore. "I don't know, Silan made it seem like it was my fault…"

"I don't think Fubuki or Tatsu will let anyone think that," said Secter. "And trust me, you've been invaluable in sticking around, you got me and Koros out of the outpost, stuck with us both and talked sense into our heads, have helped me keep sane in this horrible place, you're really the only person I can trust…And if people are weary of you when we get back and win, then I'll _make _them realize they're wrong." Secter clenched his fists at his words.

Sycamore swallowed. Secter sounded angry, almost violent. Though he was only trying to support him, Sycamore didn't want things to come to more fights after Silan was gone.

"Thanks," said Sycamore. "I'm glad…I'm glad that you feel that way."

"No one hates you," said Secter. "You've done far more than you realize. Tatsu and Fubuki saw you help me fight off Silan's people, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Hell, I guarantee they've told the others by now…"

"I know, I know," said Sycamore, his hands dropping from his feet to hanging between his knees. "I just…I know everything was a mistake back on Earth, almost everything I did. I'll do anything it takes to make it right, even if it means giving my own life. I don't care about anything else anymore aside from getting you and everyone else back on Earth to safety. But in the meantime…I'll keep struggling through here."

"Yeah this place is…awful to say the least," said Secter. "It gets to me, how nothing makes sense most of the time, and how I just keep pushing myself to keep going despite all I've seen. But I promise, you going through that change back on Earth was a good thing, you might not think it but you've become a far better person than when you started. And you're striving for something, fighting for something, doing everything you can to help out the people close to you. And that's the most noble thing anyone could ask for. I hope we both make it out ok through this Sycamore, please don't feel as if everyone back home will hate you for trying to save them."

"I…I am trying," said Sycamore. "And I do…I do want to get back home. Get back to everyone else, let them know I'm sorry…"

"I don't think that's the first thing that'll happen when you get back," said Secter. He smiled. "I think the first thing is that Fubuki's going to give you the biggest hug you thought imaginable."

Sycamore chuckled, his mood lightening up.

"Ahhh right," said Sycamore. "I did tell you about that. Yes, she…she was quite the influence on me. She was much braver than I am, that's for sure."

"I think she'd be super proud of you right now," said Secter. "I know her pretty well, I think she'd be beaming over you."

Sycamore giggled as he leaned back against the ledge, folding his arms over his chest.

"You like her quite a lot, don't you?" asked Secter.

"Don't start this again," said Sycamore, casting an irritated glance at Secter. To Secter, this just proved how much he liked her. "She just has a soft spot in my heart because she's really the one who opened me up to the idea of having friends again. She's a kind soul."

"Ah, I gotcha," said Secter. "Well, know that I'm always willing to talk, I'm always glad to have these kinds of conversations with you. Especially here, where we need it most and don't always have the opportunity to have them…"

"That goes for me too," said Sycamore. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling Secter? I don't mean physically, I meant, you know, emotionally."

"Tired," said Secter. "And…depressed for sure. I miss Tatsu, still terrified that she's not ok. She…might not be, very well might not be."

"All we can hope is that we get home soon."

"I know, I know, but it's too difficult for me not to worry. Had…had an old creature rise back up and attack me not too long ago, I think I almost let the guilt over not beating Silan and several other things get to me for a bit."

"Don't feel guilty," said Sycamore, horrified. "You've done the most to get us through! Kept going and going despite what this hellhole throws at you, and that inspires me! It inspired me when Silan attacked too!"

"Thanks," said Secter. "I try. That damned creature though, it plagued me when I first got to Earth, Tatsu helped me beat it back, and it…showed up again not that long ago, even for a moment. I got it to leave again, but it scared me, scared me that things might go back to the way they were before Tatsu…"

"It's very hard, but you'll have to stay strong," said Sycamore. "It's the only way."

"I know. It's just…difficult."

"And you've done nothing wrong, honestly. Ignore Koros, he's an asshole and doesn't know what the hell he's talking about most of the time. He's totally used to all this crap, isn't in touch with other peoples' feelings since he's damned dead inside."

"Honestly it makes me feel bad for him. Even if he pisses me the fuck off sometimes."

"Understandable. I tend not to be as sympathetic, since I think he took one of the easier paths, but then again, at least he's stuck around and helped out. He's got some issues for sure though."

"Yeah…like his desire to die…"

"Least he's willing to do it for a good cause," said Sycamore, slapping both hands onto his legs. "But back to you, I have total faith that you can stay strong just a bit longer, you've done it this entire time and saved both me and Koros God knows how many times…"

"A bit longer?" asked Secter, one eyebrow raised.

Sycamore gave a tiny smile, the edges of his mouth twitching as he looked up at Secter.

"I don't know, I just have a good feeling," said Sycamore. "That we're close. Close to getting out of here."

Secter couldn't help but return the smile. His heart fluttered at the idea of being on Earth again, of breathing in the air, of holding Tatsumaki close to his chest, of seeing everyone again…

"You know what?" asked Secter. "I do too."

"You're always about supporting people Secter, and I support you," said Sycamore. "You've been just as much of an inspiration to me that Fubuki was, and if there's anyone who can get out of this with hope in their soul, it's you."

Secter blinked at Sycamore in shock, his mind at a loss for words.

"Thanks Sycamore," said Secter, finally regaining his composure to speak after a few seconds. "I'll remember everything I saw here, I won't forget like Koros said, but I won't let it destroy me. I'll remember it for the people who once lived here, not just for the atrocities that plague it. And you're right, with that, I'll find hope. There's still good people to be found, we can still make it back…"

"That's right," said Sycamore. "It's easy to do, but we can't just brush everything off, otherwise we become used to it. Hurting as we may be, we can't let it become all bottled up, we gotta have someone to talk to."

"Sometimes I wish Koros would think the same," said Secter. "And not only talk when he's drunk…though now we're someplace at least hopefully friendly, maybe he'll be less on edge."

"And hopefully less of a jerk," said Sycamore. "Dislike him blaming you for shit, it's not your fault that I got hurt by the creature or anything, you might've saved my life by not shooting."

"Well, you're alright now at least," said Secter. "Hey, is that Koros over there?"

A man emerged from the shadows, a bottle in hand and a scowl on his face.

Secter's shoulders and face fell, irritation crackling through his expression.

"Yeah that's him," said Secter.

Koros strode over to Secter and flung himself down on the ledge, letting out an "oof" as he leaned back against the rocky platform. He swung a half-empty bottle down to his legs before setting it off to the side.

"Well well well," said Koros. "Look who it is. Honestly wasn't sure if you were gonna wake up for a bit."

"Hey Koros," said Secter. "How you feeling?"

"Eh, doing alright," said Koros. "Guess we're with these Drummer guys now."

"Know anything about them?" asked Secter.

"Nope, all I know is that they helped us out, gave us free alcohol and food, and don't like the Supremacy," said Koros. "That's good enough for me. Plus, they got numbers and guns, and we don't, so it's not like we have a second option."

Secter leaned forward, his gaze finding the bottle next to Koros. Little by little Secter leaned back and glared up at him, Koros raising an eyebrow in response.

"What?" asked Koros.

"The drink," said Secter. "Weren't you nearly dying of alcohol poisoning like not that long ago?"

"Just having one, sheesh," said Koros. "A nothing wrong with one damned victory liquor."

"Pretty sure you called the drinks at the truck victory liquors…" said Sycamore.

"Whatever," said Koros.

"You even remember anything that happened?" asked Secter. "Anything you said at the truck, anything that happened after?"

"Don't remember the talking," said Koros, scratching at his chin. "Do vaguely remember an armored car…kind of remember a hallway…"

"You said some worrying things at the truck," said Secter. "Then that armored car came along, and I carried you two to a cavern, where we found three assholes who tried to kill us."

"Ah," said Koros. "Shit, yeah I kind of remember being carried. Fuck, that was my bad."

"Told you to lay off it…" said Secter. "But don't worry about it too much I guess, we'll find one way or another to start weaning you off that stuff. If I can do it, you can too."

_Dunno Secter, _thought Sycamore. _You got a better willpower to me…more to live for too. Doesn't mean we can't try though I guess._

"Meh," said Koros. "Honestly what bugs me was that you two were there. If it was just me, I would've been fine drinking myself to oblivion and then getting shot down. But…I guess I put you two in danger for no damned reason, then you literally had to drag my ass away. Damn that's embarrassing. Sorry for that."

"See?" asked Secter, pointing at Koros's chest. "Stuff like that. You said stuff like that back at the truck. It's what worries me, you not caring about anything, claiming to not have much to live for."

"Yeah well welcome to Soulless one-oh-one," said Koros. "Sucks but we all know it. Well, most of us know it."

"Doesn't seem like these guys know it," said Sycamore, gesturing to all the chattering Drummers in the room. "Seems like they got their own things going on, their own goals. And I didn't know it, I dragged my ass out of the Nothing and tried to start a new life even if it was flawed. Don't take the easy road."

"My God you two can be annoying," said Koros. "Always on and on with the talking and shit, like it can solve all of life's problems."

"It doesn't solve all problems, but staying silent and bottling your feelings up solves nothing," said Secter. "Even if it's hard, even if you don't want to, it's always a good first step to talk. And you got people who'll listen."

"Yeah, I can tell," said Koros. "But I ain't the type to tell stories. Just let me be."

"You've helped us out thus far," said Secter. "So I might as well try."

"You've done enough Secter," muttered Koros as he brought the bottle up to his lips. His voice echoed off of the rim of the bottle as he spoke. "Don't take on all this crap yourself."

"We're all taking on this crap," said Secter. "We're all talking here. It's not just me for the two of you, it's all for all."

Koros sighed and tilted his head back so far that he was staring at the ceiling. Taking a swig of his bile, he jolted back forward and slammed the bottle down at his legs, wiping his mouth with his forearm. Talking sounded exhausting, even if deep down, he did have something to say.

"I've got nothing specific to say now anyways," said Koros. "I'm just concerned about Silan and I'll do anything it takes to get to him. But thanks for the concern."

"Well, I got one thing," said Secter. "Wanted to…apologize for almost hitting you."

"What?" asked Koros. "Almost hitting me?"

"In the tunnel," said Secter. "After I went up to you after I killed the trio."

"Oh right, kinda remember," said Koros. "Said it was a good fight or something."

"Yeah," said Secter. "All of it kinda washed over me in that moment. Hated the fighting, hated being there, this whole place felt pointless and insane…almost took it out on you."

"Have no fuckin clue why you're apologizing, I've been way worse about that than you have," said Koros.

"Yes," said Sycamore. "Yes you have. So perhaps you should apologize instead?"

Koros shifted in his seat, the warmth from the bonfire not the only thing making him uncomfortable. The drums began to start again, soft and steady. Up above, the Drumlord started bobbing his head to the new beat.

"Buncha weirdos," said Koros. "And…eh. Yeah, maybe I've been a bit harsh. Especially with what just happened and shit, took a lot of guts for you to even think about saving my ass Secter."

"Not leaving anyone behind," said Secter.

"We don't take the easy road," said Sycamore.

"Yeah yeah, well glad you both are doing alright," said Koros. "But that's enough, enough outta me. Need more sleep, you two should get some sleep, provided you can over these damned drums."

"I kinda like the drums," said Sycamore. "Not really my type of music but…I don't know, I just like em."

"People gotta find something," said Secter. "Guess it might as well be drums."

"You two are as weird as they are," said Koros. He rose from his seat, leaving his see-through bottle behind. Only a small amount of bile remained at the bottom. "Enjoy the rest of the night."

"We will," said Secter. "And Koros?"

"Yeah?" asked Koros.

Secter smiled. Koros did not return the expression.

"We're going to get out soon," said Secter.

"Uh huh," said Koros. His nose wrinkling, Koros reached over and chugged the remainder of his bile, the liquid vanishing from sight just as Secter's smile did. Tossing the empty bottle aside, Koros walked back the way he came, disappearing into the shadows and leaving Sycamore and Secter alone by the bonfire.

. . .

Secter flexed his mummified cast of an arm as the Drumlord led him and his comrades over to a series of tables right outside of the cavernous opening to the Drummers' hideout. It still hurt like hell, but Secter could feel the bones mending themselves back together and control seeping back into his forearm. He sighed as he let it fall back to his side, wandering over to a table that was adorned with rows of elimination weapons as the Drumlord reached over the platform to grab a couple.

"Believe these are yours," said the Drumlord. "Found them with you guys back near that tunnel."

He grabbed a pistol and a small club, the top of which looked like a globe complete with continents of yellow. Extending the weapons out to Secter, he grimaced as he reached out to grab both with one hand. Fumbling with both weapons in his grasp, Secter slipped the pistol into his pocket and his club into the other. The Drumlord then handed Koros his staff as well as a pistol that Koros pointed to. Grinning, the Drumlord grabbed an elimination rifle and gave it to a shocked Sycamore, who lurched forward to hold the weapon sideways in both arms.

"Ah, now you are well-equipped!" said the Drumlord. "Ready for action if need be!"

"Thanks," said Secter. "So, what exactly are we doing out here?"

"I love to give little introductions to my group if I have the chance," said the Drumlord. "Been a bit of a rarity in the past when our group was smaller and the gangs more widespread. But, we've hit a bit of a lull in the fighting as of late, perhaps more people have finally found the way out…or perhaps…the way out of life itself."

"So you brought us up here to introduce your group?" asked Koros. "Why didn't you just do that back inside?"

"We're going on a little scouting mission, and I thought you could all come along!" said the Drumlord. "Considering how your friend Sycamore told me that you were looking for a way out of the Nothing, perhaps we can help you with that as we search for people to pick up!"

"So you like to go around and help people?" asked Secter. "That's…really kind of you, especially in this place."

"Oh for certain," said the Drumlord, the beaks on his helmet shaking as he nodded up and down. "We want to get as many people as we can before some vile group snatches them up, help them to avoid the pain! We always avoid the pain!"

"The hell does that mean," grumbled Koros as he turned his pistol over in his hand, examining it as if it were ready to fall apart at any moment.

"This place is pain incarnate," said the Drumlord. "It just won't do. Anything we can do to avoid this…anything we can do to fight back, is what we shall pursue! Drum the pain away, is what I always say!"

_So…like a distraction? _thought Sycamore. _Always thought drums were oddly specific, but eh, who am I to judge. I wore that damned suit all the time. _

"Come!" said the Drumlord. "Meet our fighters!"

The trio followed behind the Drumlord as he led them down a path extending out from the cave, dozens of Soulless strapping on armor, weapons, and a few even pulling drums over their heads, red straps hanging the instruments from their shoulders. Each Soulless wore a different color armor, with the Soulless with the largest ones wearing white, the drummers wearing red, and the Soulless wearing a strange bulkier type of armor with a single strap hanging down from the front heralding yellow.

"Ah, our famous groups," said the Drumlord. "And I expect more to come today, isn't that right friends?"

The drummers banged on their drums in excitement, hooting and shouting into the void.

"That's right!" one of them yelled. "We're going to drum away the pain!"

"Excellent, excellent," said the Drumlord. "They're all so happy, it puts a smile on my face!"

Secter couldn't help but smile as well, but the banging still put him on edge. There they all were, a group of laughing and happy Soulless outlined against the Nothing, loud and boisterous yet still tiny against the endless void. Perhaps they knew they were so small, and yelled and shouted to make up for it. They did not want to be silenced, they did not want to give up. The idea sent a shot of hope into his heart, a liquid stream of warmth boiling and quick.

A few of the Soulless pulled out syringes of red substance, smirking as they stabbed them into their arms. A series of twitching and shivering ensued, with one of the Soulless screaming out in pure joy as the drugs entered his body. The warmth within Secter died a little, his smile turning back to his normal exhausted expression.

"Damn, they even got the red stuff," said Koros. "That'll get you going."

"Yes, makes them a little loopy," said the Drumlord. "But a Drummer that spikes is one who can't be stopped! Push the pain away!"

"Push the pain away!" echoed the Soulless.

_Wish we never figured out how to make all this shit, _thought Secter. _The red stuff, the bile…those can kill you if you use too much. Even a Soulless can only take so much…_

He held his tongue as several more drummers plunged syringes into their arms. Sycamore watched with skepticism plaguing his mind, not quite sure how a few drummers who were high as kites could be helpful for combat.

"Those…help for fighting?" asked Sycamore.

"Doesn't help aim, that's for sure," chuckled the Drumlord. "But! A Drummer who's pounding away with red in his veins makes morale shoot through the roof! Enemies run in fear at our musical cavalcade of doom!"

"Sounds dangerous," said Secter. "That stuff's not the safest."

"Ah, we do keep an eye on it, but it's all for the sake of avoiding pain," said the Drumlord. "Now, let me introduce our brigades!"

The Drumlord pointed at the white-armored Soulless, who were twisting tiny knobs on the sides of their weapons and squinting at the tiniest details.

"Those our are sharpshooters, our gunners, our riflemen!" said the Drumlord. "Or riflemen and women, if it is the case. They have the best aim of any group out in the Nothing, can hits targets they can't even see! They go unseen until they're right on top of the enemy, nothing gets past them, and nothing fazes them either! Go riflers go!"

The gunners raised their weapons above their heads as one, their guns like shadows against the Nothing. Within a second they had pulled their weapons back to their laps, examining them as a doctor would investigate the insides of a surgery patient.

"And of course, our prestigious chargers!" said the Drumlord, pointing at the yellow-armored troops whose protection was puffed over their bodies like boulders over their chests. "They run right in, stab em up good, and if they start to fall, they end the pain for them all!"

Koros and Secter eyed the strange armor of the Soulless. The ones in yellow were quiet, some of them smiling as they stared off into the Nothing. Sycamore rubbed his chin as he glossed over the single strap each one had hanging out of the center of their armor. Most of them had melee elimination weapons at their side, while some were weaponless.

"And then, our most famous division, the Drummers!" said the Drumlord.

All of the Drummers banged on their respective instruments, some with their hands, others with small grey sticks not much longer than half of one's forearm. They beat away at their drums, the sound echoing out for what seemed like miles. It was impressive to hear such coordination, the Soulless pounding out a song at the mere sound of their name, all falling right into the rhythm and not a single one out of step.

"They are excellent at what they do," said the Drumlord. "Terrify the enemy, raise us up, bash them away if need be, nothing can stop us! We are a cavalcade, a marching army of doom for all of those who spew hate and bring pain, we shall transform the world into a better place! No more suffering, no more pain! It's not needed for anyone! No more pain!"

The Drummers played faster and faster, worrying Secter for a moment that they might bash straight through the tops of their drums. To his surprise the instruments held out, taking any beating from the Soulless. Likely they knew the instruments' limits, and they froze just as they hit the final note for their song, their arms lingering right over the drums.

"Beautiful sound, can bring one to tears," said the Drumlord. "And hopefully will today! We shall venture out, look for people to join us, lost, wandering souls like yourselves. And who knows, perhaps you will decide to join our brigades as well!"

"Thanks, but we're just trying to get home," said Secter. "We've got people waiting on us. People who really need our help."

"Is that so…" said the Drumlord. "Interesting, very interesting… Well, we'll do what we can. We don't really know the exact direction of the universe from here, but if we find a ship, it's all yours! We can even protect you from nullifiers, at least for a distance. If need be you can tear right through the paths, though that can leave you open to whoever you encounter below, and not every path leads home…"

"Yeah we know," said Koros. "But thanks for all your help."

"Yeah we really appreciate it," said Sycamore.

"Ah, of course, of course," said the Drumlord. "A shame you must go, especially you Sycamore, you have a certain something about you. Perhaps it's your unique name, or perhaps it's because there is a certain light in your eyes…you expect something greater, and I always appreciate that!"

"Ah…thanks?" said Sycamore, strapping the rifle over his back. "I…guess I do?"

"You mustn't let the Nothing creep into your soul," said the Drumlord. "I have been here for years, and let me tell you, the things I've seen, the things I've done…I knew I could not let it destroy me, I knew I could not let it define me! I had to fight back, to follow the example of other heroes, to push my pain aside and not let it consume who I was!"

Secter glanced over at Koros, who was already glaring at him. Secter couldn't help but chuckle.

"But that's enough spouting for now," said the Drumlord. "Now we must march!"

The group of colorfully-armored Soulless jumped up in unison, being joined by another group of Soulless with the same types of gear. Again the Drummers began to play, the brigades marching in three solid rows with the chargers in front and the gunners in the back. They marched ahead in unison, with the Drumlord dashing up ahead to the front. He swung an arm around like a baton, conducting the drummers as his private band. Secter and his companions followed behind the gunners until Koros pointed at a table adorned with yellow body armor.

"Looks weird, but it wouldn't hurt," said Koros.

The trio approached the table, with Secter picking up one of the sets of armor and examining it with suspicion. The entire thing reminded him of a bomb, circular in shape, heavy even by Soulless body armor and standards, and with an odd strap-

"No," said Secter, his eyes widening. "No, don't put that on."

Koros poked the strap of the set of armor he had picked up.

"You know what?" said Koros, one eyebrow raised. "I think you're right. I'm just going to put this down now."

"Oh God," said Sycamore. "Of course it is."

"Push away the pain," said Secter. "Don't know why it took me so long to get that."

"It's their choice…" said Sycamore. "Though that's a rough way to go."

"Would prefer to just walk into the Nothing like everyone else over that," said Koros. "But eh, I can't explain every damned weirdo who still walks this place."

"They're strange yeah," said Secter. "But they found something better than hate at least."

Reluctantly the trio went back to following the marching band, leaving the armor behind. Secter kept flexing his bandaged arm as he walked, wincing every time he moved it but feeling the control returning. His stab wound and cut on the other arm had almost healed completely by now, the Drummers' excellent medical skills having helped him on the road to a quicker recovery. Sycamore was walking with energy in his step, his wounds too becoming a thing of the past. Koros walked with a hunch like usual, likely looking towards the injuries of the future.

The group marched on for a while, the Nothing never revealing whether it could be day or night. After a while, Secter wasn't sure if time even moved at all in this place, but then he recalled back to his leave after the war days and knew it couldn't be the truth.

"They're going to drum the whole way there," growled Koros. "For how damned long?"

"Ah shut it Koros," said Sycamore. "Better than being out there alone."

Ahead, the marching stopped. The drums began to beat louder.

"Look my friends!" said the Drumlord. "An outpost!"

He was right, further up the path sat a single building with a large corrugated metal hut attached to it, more than big enough to fit a plane or two. Two dark flags hung from the walls, and several slim spires of steel jutted out from the top of the polygonal building.

"Comm tower…" said the Drumlord. "And Supremacy flags! Boys, we've found a target!"

Koros's heart skipped a beat when he saw the hut sitting next to the outpost. Like a zombie, he slowly crept his arm up and pointed in between Secter and Sycamore at the building.

"Hangar," he said. "That looks like a hangar."

"Holy shit," said Sycamore. "Could there be?"

"We have to get there," said Secter, his eyes widening.

"It's not a full solution," said Koros. "Because we don't know where the fuck we are. But getting a ship is a massive step towards getting out."

"I knew it!" yelled Sycamore, bouncing in delight. "I knew it!" He clasped his hands in front of his mouth, fingers intertwining to form a ball. "We're going to get out!"

A smile tugged at the edges of Koros's mouth.

"Well we gotta get in first," said Koros. "Hopefully it won't be empty."

"Forward!" yelled the Drumlord. "I see them already, they're setting up turrets! The roof! The roof!"

Sure enough, a couple of Soulless were scrambling to the roof of the comms building, one of them carrying an elimination machine gun, glowing and sleek. They set up a tripod as the first wave of chargers started running towards the building, the sounds of drums behind them rupturing through the air. The Drummers' marksmen scattered closer to the building and took aim, glancing down the few side-paths that formed a nexus around the comms building.

"We're clear!" said one of the gunners.

"Fire away!" said the Drumlord. "Forget scouting for now, now we take away the pain! Crush the Supremacy!"

The guns erupted with bursts of yellow energy, striking the walls of the outpost and leaving dark scorch marks in their wake. Several windows flew open on the front of the building and the Soulless within returned fire. As Secter and his companions made their way forward, ducking under the incoming elimination rounds, an armored car with a turret on top drove to the front of the building out from a side path. The gunner of the car started to blow the charging Drummers with yellow armor away one by one, but there were too many. The first Drummer with the strange armor made it to the car, pulled his strap free, screamed to the heavens, and detonated.

"Fuckin hell!" said Koros. "So it _is_ that!"

"To the hangar!" said Secter. "Keep your heads down! Go!"

The three of them ran past the firing gunners and the raging drummers, Secter wincing with each suicide bomber that made it to the car, the vehicle already smoking and half-demolished from the first impact. Eventually the vehicle itself blew to pieces when the third or fourth bomber slammed into the side of the car and exploded.

Secter and his companions managed to evade the incoming fire, slamming themselves against the side of the hangar building and sidling along the edge by a narrow path. They circled around to the back, the sounds of guns and drums along with the occasional scream or explosion still bursting through the air behind them.

"Check the back for a door," said Koros. "Otherwise we blast it open."

"Doing that would take a while," said Sycamore.

"Then we look for a way into the comms building," said Secter, his eyes narrowed with focus as he stared up ahead. "We're not leaving until we find out what's inside."

Sycamore swallowed, his nerves on edge as the sounds of gunfire rampaged not far off. Koros gave a small nod to Secter.

They reached the back end of the building, their hands scraping against the rough metal as they stared down the way for a door. Only a few inches away from their feet was the Nothing, a single wrong step could send them tumbling into the void and vanishing for good. Secter frowned as he saw not a single back door on the hangar. But further ahead, against the back of the comms building, he spotted a single cyan door, a metal bar across the side of it.

"Door ahead," said Secter.

"Probably locked," said Koros. "I'll kick the damned thing open."

Reaching the door, Secter stepped further aside so Koros could sidle up to it. Trying the bar yielded nothing, and Koros snarled as he reared back and kicked it. A massive dent was blown into the door by Koros's attack, the corners of the door folding inwards. Grinning, Koros pulled his body back and slammed into the door, the steel object being sent flying into a hallway.

"Nice!" said Sycamore, pulling his rifle into his hands.

"We're in," said Secter, tearing his pistol into his good arm and flexing his injured one for good measure. He could control it fairly well now, but it still hurt like hell.

"Eh, what'd I tell ya Secter?!" asked Koros as he stepped inside. "Told ya I could do it-"

Both Secter and Sycamore strode into the building and stood behind Koros. Directly in front of them stretched a long hallway, bricks of white making up the walls and yellow lights hanging from the ceiling in metallic diamond-shaped casings. A single Soulless stood partway down the hall staring at Koros in terror, the door laying broken at his feet.

"Hey!" shouted Koros. He pulled his pistol out from his side and took aim, the terrified Soulless swerving and barging through a door to his side. He slammed it shut.

"Goddamnit," said Koros. "The hell's he running off to?"

"Doesn't matter," said Secter. "The hangar, we gotta find the hangar."

"Right, right," said Koros. "Look on your right, that's where the building is."

The trio followed the hallway, the entire building shaking as explosions sounded off against the walls outside. The gunfire was beginning to die down, but the yelling refused to cease. Drums played outside, ominous and loud, marching ever closer to signal the doom of anyone before them.

Secter ran up ahead as soon as he spotted a door to his right. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it open, his heart catching in his throat as he prayed what he was looking for was on the other side of the door.

_Please, _he thought. _Please be there, please be a ship._

The door led to a ledge of thin steel, diamond patterns against the bottom. A single ladder led down to a massive floor below, several machines with glittering lights and buttons pressed up against the back wall. Several holes had been blown in the wall, leaking white light from outside. And in front of them, nearly blocking the machines from sight, was a ship, two grey wings coated with clumps of steel all along a sleek and undamaged craft. It sat upon a square of red lay embedded into the floor, dark crevices all along the edges of the shape.

Secter's heart began to pound, his entire body lifting on a sea of hope.

_Home, _he thought. _Home. Home. Tatsu. Everybody. I'm coming back._

A vicious smile spread across his face.

_And I'm going to fucking destroy Silan, _he thought.

"Fuckin jackpot," breathed Koros. "My God, finally."

"Yes!" said Sycamore, pumping his fist into the air. "Home!"

A scuffling sound could be heard from below. Three Soulless came into view, running around the sides of the ship as they looked around in sheer panic. One of them tripped and fell to his knees, dropping his gun to the ground and having it clatter away from him. Another ran to the front of the ship, while the last stood at the back.

"Oh fuck no," said Koros. "They are _not _taking this."

He leapt from the ledge, landing right next to the fallen Soulless. The Soulless turned up in surprise, just in time to have Koros's staff get smashed into his back.

"Dammit Koros," said Secter. "Alright, fuck it. Sycamore, you go for the back, I'll go for the front."

"Got it," said Sycamore.

They both jumped from the ledge, landing squarely on their feet and separating to both ends of the ship as Koros wrestled with his screaming adversary.

Secter tore around to the nose of the ship, the Soulless who was already there turning in surprise as he lay frozen crawling against the cockpit. Raising his pistol, Secter took aim at the Soulless as he jumped down and reached for something at his side. Secter fired once, the blast tearing right through the Soulless's side.

The Soulless froze, blood starting to pour out from where he had been shot. Slowly he reached both hands up to his wound to staunch the blood, his face contorting in pain. Tears began to run from the Soulless's eyes as he began to sob in front of a stone-faced Secter.

"Please…" said the Soulless. "Don't kill me…"

"Put all your weapons on the ground," said Secter.

"I'm not really a Supremacist, I don't actually hate humans," said the Soulless, his words dripping with phlegm as he choked every last one out of his throat. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want to go home…"

"Calm down," said Secter. "Just put your weapons away."

Secter could hear the sounds of footsteps behind him. He glanced around to see both Sycamore and Koros approaching, splashes of yellow all over Koros's shirt. He was grinning like a madman, the staff slung over his back. Sycamore looked slightly grim, but still kept his chin up high. Turning back, he watched as the Soulless clawed his way down his torso, scratching at his stomach as he brought his fingers down to a pistol at his side. Grabbing the pistol, he pulled it from his holster and dropped it to the ground.

"Kick it to me," said Secter.

"The hell?" came Koros from behind him. "Just shoot him Secter."

The drums outside were growing fainter now, the gunfire limited to the occasional burst. Even still, a couple of voices could be heard from outside, distant and energetic.

The Soulless did as Secter asked, kicking the pistol over to his feet.

"Now leave," said Secter.

"Thank you," said the Soulless. "Thank you, thank you, you won't regret this!"

"Just go," said Secter.

The Soulless gave a teary nod and turned around, shuffling towards the nearest hole in the wall. As he made it to the halfway point between the ship and the gap, a Soulless in yellow armor pushed himself through the wall, grunting as he struggled to rip his armor free from the notches in the side of the hole. He spotted the wounded Soulless and started to scream.

The Soulless in the yellow armor broke into a full sprint, grasping at his cord. The injured Soulless began to back up, unsure of who the hell was running at him.

"Wait!" yelled Secter. It was too late. The cord was pulled.

Secter turned around and leapt onto a shocked Koros and Sycamore, tackling them to the ground as the world turned to fire behind them. The explosion ruptured through Secter's eardrums as he lay on top of his companions, bits of metal flinging themselves across his back and becoming embedded in the wall behind him. They turned to shivering spikes stuck in the metal, Secter's ears ringing as the explosion subsided. His eyes remained wide as he kept himself over his friends, his brain refusing to comprehend what had just happened. Slowly he picked himself up, leaning back away from his companions on his knees. Koros steadied himself with one hand on the ground as he stood up, while Sycamore sat upright with his mouth hanging open.

_I don't want to look, _thought Secter. _This can't be fucking happening, this can't be fucking real. If there's a God up there…if there's a God up there, please have mercy…_

Koros stepped around Secter, heading towards the front of the ship. His feet sloshed through a puddle of yellow blood pooled on the ground as he made his way forwards.

"How bad is it?" asked Secter, his voice tiny.

"What?" asked Koros.

"The damage," said Secter.

"Well you're fine," said Koros. "Because guess what? The fucking ship took it for you. Ha ha ha. Imagine that."

"I was talking about the ship," whispered Secter. "How's the ship."

"Come look for yourself asshole," said Koros.

_Oh God, _thought Sycamore. _Oh God no, I'm gonna throw up…_

Secter rose to his feet, his back still turned to the ship. Every step to turn around felt like it took an eternity, lives going by as Secter finally viewed the ship.

A massive hole had been blown in the side of the cockpit, to which Koros gestured with a thin smile on his face. Exposed wires crackled with electricity as they jutted out from the charred remains of the control panel on the inside, buttons flashing different colors against jagged and melted steel.

"Are you a mechanic, Secter?" asked Koros.

"It's ruined…" said Secter. "The ship…"

"Ohhhhhhh, we can't fly it," said Koros. "But did you answer my question Secter?" He let out a soft giggled, his chest shaking as he laughed.

"I…no," said Secter. "No…"

"Guys…" said Sycamore, sniffling as he rose to his feet. "Now what?" Despair was the only thing he knew now, coating his world in dripping black.

"I'll tell ya what," said Koros. "Look who screwed us over again!"

"What?" asked Secter, his voice grave. It felt like the weight of the world was crushing his spine and soul.

"Never would've fuckin happened had you shot that stupid fuckin idiot," said Koros.

"How…how the hell was I to know?" said Secter. "How was I supposed to know one of their bombers was coming?"

"I don't give a shit," said Koros, shaking his head as he approached Secter. He began to chuckle, his voice drenched with the spirit of madness. All he wanted to do to the man in front of him was hurt, hurt, hurt.

Koros whipped his staff at Secter's head, his eyes widening in surprise as Secter stumbled back and dodged the attack. His staff smacked into the front of the ship, reverberating in his hands.

Secter's eyes turned from grey with despair to bloodshot with rage. He rushed at Koros as he clenched his teeth, swinging with his bandaged arm and punching Koros in the face. Blood sprayed out from Koros's mouth as the punch forced him into biting the inside of his cheek, and Koros shuffled backwards, rubbing his face at the impact. Secter grasped his injured arm, pain echoing all throughout his bones. It was a softer pain by now as opposed to back in the hall, but still made him wince nonetheless.

"Guys, stop!" said Sycamore. "This isn't the damned time, maybe we can find something else-"

"You're going to ruin us, you fucking idiot," said Koros. "A shame, since I was starting to like you. But then you just pull one stupid stunt after another, because everything has to be _happy. _Everything has to be _understood. _You still don't get that that's not how _it fucking works here_."

"I don't accept misery all the damned time," said Secter. "And I'm smart enough to know not everything is in my control. I'm not going to fall down and refuse to help myself back up like _you_."

"You trying to say something, you fucking asshole?" asked Koros.

"I'm saying you better back the fuck up," said Secter. "I'm not letting you tear me down like you did yourself."

"Maybe it's for the best you be torn down," said Koros. "Let the world go on without your fucking input. Hasn't helped a damned thing, now has it? You've been nothing but a fucking failure this whole time, now haven't you?" He smeared the oozing blood from his mouth across his cheek, making it look as if his lips stretched on for far too long.

Secter made a sound that was something between a growl and a grunt. He ran towards Koros again, plowing into him as he brought both hands back and formed a single fist with both. As Koros stumbled away, Secter swung his hands into Koros's side, knocking him into the side of the ship. Koros gasped as pain shot through his body.

"Stop!" yelled Sycamore from somewhere behind Secter. "The both of you!"

Koros pushed Secter away, readying his staff behind him. As Secter took another swing at Koros and missed, Koros swung the staff forward, the end of it slicing through one side of Secter's face and opening up his cheek. Several streams of blood leaked out from the jagged edges of the cut along Secter's face. He took a step back, one hand rising to cover the side of his face just as Koros kicked him in the abdomen. Secter fell to the ground, catching himself with his hands as he started to backcrawl away from an advancing Koros.

Sycamore dashed past Secter, his body a blur as he ran up to Koros. Glaring at him, Sycamore pointed a finger right into Koros's chin.

"You listen here, you son of a bitch," said Sycamore. "Angry as you might be, Secter's saved your goddamned life more than once, and fighting him isn't going to solve anything."

Koros's nostrils flared as he stared down at Sycamore. His whole body shaking, Koros's lips parted apart, blood flowing freely from the inside of his mouth. He flashed a vicious grin down at Sycamore.

"You better get the fuck out of my way," said Koros. "Out of this whole group, you scare me the least."

"No, and I couldn't care less," said Sycamore. "Since when have we let a big setback stop us? No injuries, bombs, lack of medical supplies, or weird creatures have stopped us and you're going to try and kill Secter over a damaged ship? No, what we're going to do is keep going, keep looking for a way out, and not fucking _kill each other_."

"Just gonna knock some sense into him," said Koros. He pushed himself forward, but froze when he felt something metallic jut into his stomach. He looked down to see the barrel of a pistol poking into his torso, the handle of which was gripped by Sycamore.

"No you're fucking not," said Sycamore. "I'm ending this right now. You try and make another move on Secter, you try and blame him one more time or make him feel like shit, and I swear to God, I'll blast you away."

Koros stared down at the pistol, dumbfounded. Slowly he backed away, dropping his staff to his side.

"Great," said Koros. "Fine. Do whatever you damned want then."

Secter pulled himself to his feet, shock running rampant through his brain as he looked over at Sycamore.

"What we're going to do," said Sycamore. "Is look around. Surely there must be other vehicles here aside from just one ship. We're not giving up yet."

"Sycamore's right," said Secter, rubbing at the stinging pain on his cheek. He pulled his hand away, his fingers dripping with warmth. Sycamore's words a lit a fire in him, that surely there must be something more, that a little setback couldn't ruin them yet. "You need to calm the hell down Koros. There's no need to fucking fight right now, no matter how much we piss each other off."

"How the hell are you two not freaking the fuck out about this?!" asked Koros as he stared at Secter and Sycamore.

"Because like I said," said Sycamore. "We're going home today."

"Yeah losing this ship fucking sucks," said Secter. "But Sycamore, you're right. There's gotta be something else, right?"

Koros shook his head.

"And if there's nothing?" asked Koros. "If that was the last ship, or the _only _ship?"

"Then we do what we always do," said Sycamore. "Keep our heads up, and move on."

. . .

Silan clawed at the massive window at the back of his room, dark aside from the rays of light that shot through his ceiling-high panes. The only other thing in his room was a desk, sitting alone in the shadows. Silan's fingers scraped across the window as he stared down at a single hut at the edge of the courtyard, giggling to himself as the glass curled under his claws.

"Ah Tatsumaki, I do love it when you try to play rival to me," he said. "Oh, how I love it."

He turned away from the window, letting both arms to his sides as he clenched at his waist. Back and forth he paced in front of the window, finding it impossible to stop smiling.

"Of course I let those two stay in the camp, the softest two of them all!" said Silan. "Ha ha ha, I'm surprised you latched onto them so easily Tatsumaki, surely it was your only option, but just so _obvious_, so obvious they were there to take away your hope…"

He passed by the window again, the flickering flames spreading off of his back and into the morning light.

"And just like I figured, they folded under pressure…" said Silan, chuckling. "And every member of your group, all meant to hurt you…Fubuki, your sister, Saitama and Genos and King and Bang, all acquaintances or friends, Metal Bat with his sister, and Garou-"

Silan stopped for a second before resuming his pacing.

"Well, he was more meant to get Greidhof involved and Bang worried," said Silan. "But of course, he has come to support you too…"

He laughed.

"It all goes how I want, they all support you, and as you fall, they will crumble as well," said Silan. "Oh, how excited I am for your sister! What plans I have for her! And burying you in the ground, take away your hope and make you reminisce! Yet you still persist! I love it! Such a perfect candidate…"

Silan sighed, content.

"Everything, everything in this camp to bring you down…" he said. "And it goes so splendidly, the dead without names, all of them at least known to you… You continue to try and inspire, which will only make you fall harder… Viskel tries to follow my example, but only makes him spiral further into my hands, Vastal gives up completely…there is no hope for you Tatsumaki."

He gave a vicious smile to the darkness, his mouth parting in an expression which threatened to devour his entire face.

"Yet it is coming close to that time Tatsumaki," he said. "Time for this group to be over, and on to the next…just a bit more of course, I'll have my fun, but I can feel you breaking as we speak… Ha ha ha."

His chest grew warm with joy, however unlikely it seemed there might've been a heart underneath.

"And I do not care about this group, Tatsumaki," said Silan. "Oh, I'll lead them to oblivion if I have to! That's why I let them be most of the time, use them when I need them, disposable, pathetic, lost creatures. So easy to bend and break, yet they refuse to change the status quo because they are afraid and know nothing else but pain, but my rule! And if they do end up dead by my anger, of course I can always find more. There is an abundance of lost Soulless these days, I'm sure many would be all too happy to find my little 'family' and their own sad little purpose in life. And thus the cycle continues, my people thrive while your degenerate race continues to be crushed."

Silan broke away from his pacing and waltzed towards his door, happy as could be. He hummed to himself as he pushed the doors to his room open and headed down a set of stairs to the first floor. As he reached the grand hall out by the main entrance, he spotted Vastal coming out of the communications room.

"Ah, Vastal!" said Silan, a big smile on his face. "Been meaning to speak with you."

Vastal froze, his eyes wide.

"No need to fear my friend," said Silan. "I only wish to apologize…"

"Is that right," said Vastal.

"Yes, I might've went a bit too far in punishing you, but do know that I never would've ended you. I have no plans to eliminate my top lieutenant, they are all too valuable to me!"

"Mmmhmm."

"Even still, you should've thought twice about insulting me," said Silan, his smile melting into a frown. "And of course, your sympathy for the humans is noted. And the issue of Zenko…"

"I didn't even break any rules," said Vastal. "Rule three-"

"Yes I am aware," said Silan, placing a hand over his chest where his heart should've been. "Perhaps I should've been clear that no one is to leave without my consent, but I thought that was _implied._"

"Maybe you should change the rules then," said Vastal. He rubbed at the wound on his chest, no longer bleeding but stained with the blood of the past.

"Yes, perhaps a clarification is due…" said Silan. "But nonetheless, did you just come from the comms room?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Ah, anything interesting?"

"No, just more stupid shit."

"Sounds about right," said Silan. He walked over and laid a hand on Vastal's shoulder, who twitched at his touch. "Listen Vastal, I do apologize for your treatment, but the fact of the matter is you've damaged my trust for the time being… Why don't you stay in the comms room until further notice, consider it as a kind of…grounding until I decide otherwise."

Vastal grunted, slinking away from Silan's grasp. From behind the Silan, the twin doors to the main hall burst open.

Silan turned around to see Maske heading towards him, a large weapon obscuring the upper part of his body as he carried it in both hands. The device was tubular in shape, a chunky sight attached to the side and a handle complete with a trigger on the opposite end. It was long enough to stretch past Maske on both ends and out into the hallway, a great glowing bazooka that which Maske carried over to Silan. Greidhof was behind Maske, his helmet raised as he marched through the hall.

"Ah!" said Silan. "There you two are! And what have we here?"

Silan gazed upon the weapon that Maske presented, his eyes gleaming down at the glorious instrument of destruction.

"We met our queue," said Maske. "_Finally_."

Greidhof grumbled from under his helmet.

"Excellent, good to see production is on schedule," said Silan. "And yes, yes, is this your gift to me?"

"Of course!" said Maske. "You are our leader, our God!"

"Excellent," said Silan. "Oh, truly this is a happy day! Come you two, I have much to discuss, big plans for the future! Even you Greidhof, I think you'll be happy to hear what I have to say."

Silan laughed as he motioned for the two Soulless to follow him back to his room. Vastal stood leaning against the wall, watching them all as they went. He could've sworn he saw Greidhof turn back and snicker at him, but by that point, he simply didn't care.

. . .

Tatsumaki opened her eyes. Her world was pain, her brain feeling like it was trying to bash against the side of her skull. Wave after wave of white hot pain overcame her head, and Tatsumaki coughed as she sat up, her vision blurred.

Someone touched Tatsumaki on the shoulder, causing Tatsumaki to freeze up. The hand was light, soft, not the rough and gnarled feel of a Soulless.

"Sis, you're awake!" said Fubuki. "Are you alright?"

"Ughhhh," said Tatsumaki. "What…what happened?"

"Silan tried to fucking drown you," said Saitama. "Left you out in the rain, unconscious, and we all ran out to get you once he left."

Tatsumaki grabbed at the side of her head, snatching a clump of hair as her sister steadied her against the wall. She looked down to see two capes, one white and one black, draped over her, her clothes poking out from underneath. Her dress was coated in mud and wrinkled from the rain, and even though there was no water around her, she still felt like she was beneath waves.

"You alright?" asked Garou, who was leaning against the back wall. "Heard stuff like that can damage your brain…"

"I'm…ok," said Tatsumaki. "Got a…strong mind, if that makes sense."

"Makes sense to me," said Saitama.

"What you did was very brave," said Bang. "Despite…despite the circumstances, and the consequences."

"Bang?" asked Tatsumaki. "Metal Bat? And Garou? You guys all ok?"

"Yeah we're alright," said Metal Bat, standing further off towards the end of the hut. "He just immobilized us for a bit."

"Sis…" said Fubuki as she embraced Tatsumaki. She hugged Tatsumaki tight, to the point where Tatsumaki let out a little cry as she felt her ribs explode with pain.

"Oh!" said Fubuki. "Shit, sorry, sorry." She pulled back.

"It's ok," squeaked Tatsumaki. "Are…are you alright Fubuki?"

"I'm sore, but I'm ok," said Fubuki.

"And Saitama?" asked Tatsumaki.

"I'm fine, so is Genos and King," said Saitama. "Well, he got disheartened by what happened, but no one attacked him, so that's good."

Genos said nothing as he lay propped up against the wall like a discarded object.

"Sorry about still not having limbs buddy," said Saitama. "But trust me, it's not much better with em here anyways."

"I understand mas- Saitama," said Genos.

"That's better," said Saitama.

Tatsumaki groaned as she tried to rise to her feet. Eyes going wide, she began to slink back against the wall coughing all the way. Fubuki leaned over to catch her, lifting her back up. Tatsumaki stood upright, the group all stepping forward in concern. A cape and a jacket over Tatsumaki slid to the ground and she stepped over them as her sister helped her walk forward. Shrugging, Saitama leaned down to pick his cape up while Metal Bat walked over to do the same.

"Thanks for those…" said Tatsumaki. "Ugh, my head."

"Perhaps you should get some more rest Tatsumaki," said Bang.

"Not now," said Tatsumaki. "No, I…I need to do something."

King rose from his spot in the corner, his eyes puffy and red.

"Guys," he said. "I need to admit something, about my strength…"

"It's alright King," said Tatsumaki. "You're staying strong just like anybody else."

"Well…thanks," said King. "But it wasn't that, it was about how strong I am, since all that has happened and you deserve an explanation…"

"It's alright," said Saitama. "No one's asking. And besides, if I can't beat em…there's not much reason to discuss."

"Ah…" said King.

"You've all been strong, and I'm glad you're all ok," said Tatsumaki. "But now, where's Viskel?"

"What?" asked Saitama, raising an eyebrow as he hung his cape back over his shoulders.

"Viskel," said Tatsumaki. "I need to get to him. _Now._"

"Tatsumaki…" said Bang.

"Does anyone know?" asked Tatsumaki. "Is he back at the infirmary still?"

"Tatsumaki," said Garou.

"Then let's go!" said Tatsumaki. "Come on, we don't have much time!"

"Tatsumaki!" said Saitama. "They're not gonna help us!"

"What?" asked Tatsumaki. "Oh, you mean…you mean…"

"We saw Vastal leave, everyone did," said Metal Bat. "And Viskel ran off, didn't help either. Let's face it, we can't rely on them for help anymore. We're all that we got."

"It's true…" said King. "But I just don't know what we're going to do…"

"Guys if we don't try, if we don't do everything we can to get out, then Silan wins," said Tatsumaki. "We can't give up now, what Silan just did-" She paused for a second as vomit rocketed up her throat. Swallowing hard, Tatsumaki forced it back down, her throat feeling like it had been lit on fire as the bile returned to her stomach. "Guh. If we don't…"

"You want to talk to Viskel, sis?" asked Fubuki.

Tatsumaki looked up at her sister. Fubuki smiled down at her, the light from the slits above reflecting off of her hair and giving her a heavenly look.

"I…would yeah," said Tatsumaki.

"Then let's go," said Fubuki. "If you're alright, that is."

"Head hurts, body hurts, feel like collapsing," said Tatsumaki. "But that's about the norm for this fucking place. Let's go. Come on everyone, we're not giving up yet. I won't allow it."

Saitama put his hands on his hips as he watched Tatsumaki and Fubuki shuffle towards the door. Fubuki pushed the door open and was greeted by a rush of warm morning air, the two of them walking down the small steps out of the hut and over towards the infirmary.

"They really are something," said Bang. "Stronger than I ever thought possible."

"Yeah," said Saitama. "People to look up to. No wonder Secter and Sycamore hung around em so much."

"I do hope they're alright," said Bang. "Wherever they might be."

"Hope so too," said Saitama. He shook his head and strode towards the door. As he reached it he turned around, the light of the sun shining past his face and back into the room. He was met with the stares of the shocked group members, each one looking more confused than the last. All he did was smile. "Come on guys. No sense standing around. And oh!"

He ran back into the room and picked up Genos before running back out. The rest of the group followed along. As they walked towards the infirmary, Saitama turned and saw the pink lump that was Atomic Samurai still sitting on the ground, tiny brown spots stretching along his muscles.

"He just left him out here?" asked Saitama.

"Ah Christ," said Garou. "Seems like it."

"Fuck this," said Saitama. "He was an ass, but he doesn't deserve that. Someone hold Genos for a second."

Saitama handed Genos off to Bang, who took him in both arms. Rushing over to the corpse of the fallen samurai, Saitama held his nose and he grasped at the moist earth below and started digging. His arm turning into a blur as he scraped dirt behind him, within a few seconds he had created a hole deep enough to fit a refrigerator into. His eyes watering, he pushed Atomic Samurai into the hole, before walking back and shoving the pile of dirt he had made over him. He patted the dirt down, flattening it until it was little more than a mound over the rest of the earth. Sighing, Saitama took off one of his gloves and laid it down on the grave.

"Sorry for such a quick ceremony buddy," said Saitama. "Silan's probably gonna get pissed at me for this, but then again he always finds excuses to get pissed, rule breaking or not. Christ, why the hell did he even do all this, to feed his damned ego? And I guess you were a victim of it too…"

Saitama shook his hands off as he returned to the group, outstretching his arms to take Genos back.

"Silan ain't gonna like that," said Garou. "Bet he kept him out here for a reason. But even still…you did the right thing. Fucked up to keep him out."

"Yep," said Saitama. "But I'm through playing his games." Pulling Genos over his back, he turned around from the group, Bang beaming at him. "Alright, let's go back to Tatsumaki."

. . .

Tatsumaki pushed open the door to the infirmary, her sister keeping her hand on her back between her shoulders. Together they walked into the room, not a single light on and the place drenched in dark. Fubuki kicked the door out to the side to keep it open, and squinted over at a corner as she saw something shudder in the sunlight.

"Ugh," said Viskel. He raised his head to see the duo approach him, his body crouched over in a ball. There were two dark streaks just underneath his eyes, and he narrowed them as Tatsumaki came closer.

"You two…" said Viskel. "What happened? I…I didn't see…"

"You were in here this whole time," said Tatsumaki.

Viskel sniffed and turned back to face the wall, a sight all too familiar for him.

"I didn't want to see…" said Viskel. "I didn't want to see…" He buried his head in his hands, his body shaking. Tatsumaki walked close enough to touch Viskel, realizing that he was crying softly into himself.

"It's alright Viskel," said Tatsumaki. "Listen."

"Nooooooo," moaned Viskel. "Leave me alone, I don't want to talk."

Tatsumaki laid a hand on Viskel's back, just beneath the glinting steel off one of the handles jutting out from his skin.

"He's alright," said Tatsumaki. "Vastal, he's ok. I pulled him away from Silan…"

Viskel lifted his head up, peering over at Tatsumaki with a trembling lip and watering eyes.

"You…you did?" asked Viskel. "And he's alright?"

"He's fine," said Tatsumaki. "Well, Silan did hurt him, but he's alive."

_Unless he was killed when I was out… _thought Tatsumaki. _Oh God, please don't let this be the case…_

"It's my fault," said Viskel.

"It is not your fault Viskel," said Fubuki, who had joined Tatsumaki to squat down and lay a hand on his back. "It's Silan's."

"He can be vicious sometimes, but that's just…that's just how leaders get," said Viskel.

Fubuki recoiled at his words.

"No, that's how awful, abusive people get," said Tatsumaki. "Listen Viskel, we need your help…"

"I…want to…" said Viskel. "I know Vastal liked you guys, and I like you guys, but I just can't, I can't…"

"It's alright," said Fubuki. "Just listen to us for a second."

"You still have these knives in your back," said Tatsumaki, eying the one closest to her fingers. "Do they hurt?"

"Mmhmm," said Viskel. "Don't know why, but they hurt real bad when I cry."

"Do you want me to take them out?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Why?" asked Viskel. "Why take them out? It's part of who I am, right?"

"No, it's part of who Silan wants you to be," said Tatsumaki. "And Silan's willing to hurt you, and your friends…"

"Vastal wanted those out," said Fubuki. "There's no reason to have something in you that would hurt you so much."

"It all hurts," said Viskel. "It's all so confusing, I'm all so torn…"

"Listen," said Tatsumaki, her voice soft as she drifted her hand towards the nearest knife. "We can help you with this, we can help you find happiness. We want you to be ok Viskel, you and Vastal both. We know you're good people."

"You think so?" asked Viskel.

"I know so," said Tatsumaki.

Viskel scuffed a foot along the ground, looking down at the scrape marks he made with his toes.

"Thank you," said Viskel. "You two…you two are pretty alright."

"Thanks," said Fubuki. "And you too."

"You want the knives out?" asked Tatsumaki. "Even just for a little bit?"

Viskel sniffed. He gave a little nod.

"Alright," said Tatsumaki. "We'll…be gentle, though they may bleed a little."

"I'm a good person," said Viskel.

"Yes, you are," said Fubuki, gripping one of the knives in his back. Tatsumaki grabbed the other.

They both slid the knives out from Viskel's skin, yellow bubbling and oozing up to the surface as slowly the glowing blades were pulled out from his insides. Fubuki grimaced as her knife kept going and going, the blade almost half a foot in length before finally she could see the tip exit from Viskel's skin. Tatsumaki pulled out the other knife and tossed it to the side, Fubuki doing the same.

"Feel better?" asked Tatsumaki, frowning at the blood leaking out from the old wounds on Viskel's back.

"Mmhmm," said Viskel.

A cough sounded off from the back of the room. Startled, Tatsumaki turned to see the rest of the group standing at the entrance.

"The hell?" she asked. "Were you guys standing there the whole time?"

"I mean, yeah," said Saitama. "Didn't want to interrupt you guys or anything."

A hulking being of steel pushed his way through the group, each member turning in shock to see Vastal rushing straight towards Tatsumaki. Both Fubuki and Tatsumaki stood in defiance, Tatsumaki's hands clenching into fists.

"I know," said Vastal, as if he could see the anger boiling over in Tatsumaki's mind. "But listen to me, this is urgent and I have to make it quick."

"Speak up then," said Tatsumaki.

"I'm getting you out of here," said Vastal. "Today."


	10. Chapter 10

Tatsumaki's eyes widened at Vastal's proposition as Viskel brushed past the two of them and leapt into Vastal's arms, pushing Vastal back as he embraced his friend. The two swung from side to side, Vastal sighing in irritation even as he kept his arms wrapped around a smiling Viskel. The formerly stabbed Soulless closed his eyes as he hugged Vastal.

"You…want to…get us out," said Tatsumaki. She didn't know what to think, but something in Vastal's eyes made her believe him. Her heart rocketed through her chest, hope and terror enrapturing her.

"Get _you _out," said Vastal. "And fast. We're running out of time."

Vastal's head twitched, his neck craning forward as he ran his hands along Viskel's back.

"The hell?" asked Vastal. "Where are the knives?"

"We got them out," said Fubuki. "Viskel was really torn up about you."

"The fuck…" said Vastal. "Even I couldn't convince you to get them out Viskel, what gives?"

"These are nice people," said Viskel, pointing back to Tatsumaki and Fubuki. "They took all this pain, all us being mean to them, and they still went out and told me you were ok. And they got the knives out, my back feels _free _now."

"That's…good to hear," said Vastal. "Well, you and me are leaving this place too."

"What?" asked Viskel, pushing himself away from Vastal in pure shock. Vastal shouldered past him, standing in front of Tatsumaki, his huge frame taking up almost all of the space between the beds.

"Your friend is alive," said Vastal. "Not only that, but he's close to the edge of the universe."

Tatsumaki's spirits soared, she shuddered in joy. The biggest smile she had smiled in a long time stretched across her face, hope seeping into every one of her features.

"I got a call from an outpost not far from the edge," said Vastal. "Somehow, whoever was calling knew Secter by name, and he was asking me if he was the leader of some attack group. Anywho, he made it to an outpost, and I think they got a ship there, but by the sounds of it, it might've been damaged or destroyed by gunfire or something. Guy on the comms said the hangar had got all shot up, and there were some explosions before he cut out."

Darkness began to envelope Tatsumaki's heart, her arms falling to her sides.

"That's why I want to take you to that outpost," said Vastal. "Bringing Viskel along with me, so we can drop you off there, you can reunite, see if there are any ships left, and I'll leave you with the directions you need to get out of the universe. He may be close but trust me, all it takes is one wrong path and you're lost again for weeks. It's happened to our group before, even when we were just feet away from the end of the Nothing."

"You…" said Tatsumaki. "You…"

"Secter," said Fubuki. "Secter's alive?"

"Yes, I just said that," said Vastal. "Now come on, I've only got a limited window where Silan and his cronies are distracted, and I can take you right to where we keep our ships. They ain't hard to find."

"I…" said Tatsumaki. "I'm so happy right now…" Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Tatsumaki brought both hands to her face, sobbing with joy as Fubuki pulled her in close with one arm.

"Look I get it, you're glad," said Vastal. "But in ten minutes or so, Silan's probably gonna be done with his little meeting and will be expecting me in the comms room. So, I want to get this show on the road."

"I…I want to, I really _really _want to," said Tatsumaki. "But my sis, my sis and everyone else…"

"You staying here will do _nothing_," said Vastal. "Listen, it will take us a minute to get to the edge of the universe with a Soulless ship, that's what they're designed for. And I know the way to that outpost, it's the one we passed when we finally got out of the Nothing. It's simple, I drive you there, make sure it's safe, drop you off, tell you the way to go, and then me and Viskel fly off into the damned sunset. It'll be up to you to find Secter from where I let you go, I'd come with or go pick Secter up myself but I'm pretty sure he'll recognize me, and if he's smart, shoot me on sight. Would likely be even worse if I'm with you."

"But…what if you drop me off there," said Tatsumaki. "And I find him, but we don't have a ship?"

"Ugh," said Vastal. "The hangar at that place has more than one ship, but if the one in the building got destroyed or something, I don't know if Secter would know how to bring up the other ones. It's the middle console on the far wall, you press the red button and pull the green lever when the light flashes. Now, make your decision quick, if Silan comes out before I'm back you'll lose this opportunity and risk having Secter get lost again, possibly forever."

Tatsumaki's breath caught in her throat as she tried to speak, her spirit being torn in two as she looked back at a smiling Fubuki. There was warmth in Fubuki's smile, pure happiness radiating off of her expression. But deep down there was sadness too, sadness to see her older sister go.

"I…can't just leave Fubuki here," said Tatsumaki. "Fuck, why do you make me choose…"

"If this all goes well," said Vastal. "I could have you close to the outpost in like a minute and a half, you reunite with Secter and get in a ship, and be back just as fast. Hell, you could be back before Silan even finishes his damned meeting. And…ugh, I understand you wanting to take your sis, I really do, but I worry you'll all turn it into one big group session when you get back, though that's understandable, and this whole thing really shouldn't take more than five minutes. Not to mention if there's still fighting back at the outpost, it's way easier and safer for me to just keep track of you instead of a big group. Much easier to sneak one person out of here as opposed to all of you as well."

"Vastal…" said Viskel, raising his hand.

"What?" asked Vastal.

"Are we really leaving?" asked Viskel.

"Yes, I have no intentions of dying here, and I have no intentions of letting Tatsumaki or anyone else in her group die," said Vastal. "Nor you, Viskel."

"But…but…" said Viskel. "We live here…"

"Not anymore," said Vastal. "Listen-" He leaned down and placed both hands on Viskel's shoulders, shaking him gently. "I'll really need your help for this. I'll need you to follow me and distract whoever's guarding the ships, since I'm guessing there be at least one. Then, as soon as I start the ship up, knock the fuck out of the guard and come running as fast as you can. It'll cause some problems but like I said, Tatsumaki should be back before Silan and anyone else can figure out what the hell is going on."

"I…I don't know," said Viskel. "I guess I can help…"

"That's the spirit," said Vastal. "And trust me, you don't want to stick around anyways. Pretty sure Silan's about to give Greidhof and Maske some promotions."

"Ugh," said Viskel. "Don't like either of em, specially not Greidhof. What a fucking loser."

"That's right," said Vastal. "Now we should go, like, now. Are you coming Tatsumaki?"

"I…" said Tatsumaki. "Though…even if we get back, Secter can't take everyone on his own! And I really wish you could take anyone else too, even if it's just my sis…"

"Sorry, I ain't sticking around for a fight," said Vastal. "This is the best I can do. Though, from the sounds of it, Secter had some companions with him, maybe even a lot of them."

"Sycamore?" asked Fubuki. "Was Sycamore with him?"

"Could be, no clue," said Vastal. "And as for taking any more of you, we'll be noticed, and Silan will hunt you down again just like last time. Hate to break it to you, but Silan's the type to hunt down those who anger him. I take you all, and you all decide to run, and he'll gather as much Supremacy as he can and he _will_ find you. We're better off with a single person to gather what you can, and hitting him when he's unaware. Finish him off and you'll not have to worry anymore, he's got to go. Plus, his group scatters easier than you might think, they might not fight too hard if they think they're gonna lose. Now hurry Tatsumaki, we have to leave _now._"

Tatsumaki raised a hand over her chest. Her heart was beating so fast that she worried she was about to keel over. Her ribs still ached from last night, her mind swirling as to what to do. She looked over at the group.

"Do you guys mind-" she began.

"Not at all," said Saitama, beaming at her.

"No objections here," said Bang. "Go to him, put him on the right path. I'm sure he needs you as much as you need him."

The rest of the group all smiled at Tatsumaki, even Genos managing the smallest of smiles. Not a single one objected, not a single one wanted to.

"And sis…" said Tatsumaki, looking up at Fubuki with shining eyes.

"It's ok," said Fubuki. "Go to him. Just hurry back."

Tatsumaki's lips trembled and she cried out, collapsing into Fubuki as the two hugged one another. Viskel tilted his head as he watched the them cry, Tatsumaki's tears staining the front of Fubuki's dress in dark little circles.

"Alright, alright," said Vastal. "Let's go, hurry!"

Tatsumaki sniffed as she separated from Fubuki, the two of them smiling at each other.

"I'll be back sis," said Tatsumaki. Her voice quavered. "With Secter and everyone else."

"Good luck sis," said Fubuki. "Please, come back safe."

Tatsumaki gave one last nod to Fubuki before following Vastal and Viskel out of the hut. As they exited, Vastal turned back to the group, most of them crowded around the entrance aside from Fubuki, who stood rooted to her spot.

"Act like everything is normal," said Vastal. "But if Silan comes and he asks, blame me. I ain't comin back, and he can look for me all he wants, harder to find a being he can't use powers to see as opposed to humans that he can. Might help ease his anger against you…"

Fubuki sniffed, waving goodbye at her sister. Tatsumaki waved back.

"Alright," said Vastal. "Tatsumaki, get on my back."

Tatsumaki did as he asked, reaching up and clawing over the ridges on the hump of armor over his spine and wheezing as she reached the top.

"Alright, I'm ready-" said Tatsumaki.

In a flash, both Viskel and Vastal were off, leaping over the fence, running through empty streets, and making it towards a massive serrated metal hut that served as the makeshift hangar of Silan.

Vastal peered out from behind a building, watching the lone guard that leaned against the front of the hangar. Viskel stood at his side, twiddling his thumbs.

"Always forget how disorganized it is on Greidhof's side," said Vastal. "Suppose Silan is no better, but just one guard?"

"They don't think they have anything to worry about…" said Viskel.

Tatsumaki looked up to see several hexagonal towers in the distance, each one pouring smoke into the air.

"What…what's happening out here?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Most people are probably stuck making weapons," said Vastal. "Or more likely, hiding away from the Soulless as they goof off and threaten or kill people. All while Greidhof yells at everyone to get back to work of course."

"Oh…" said Tatsumaki. She worried for the poor denizens of the factory. All this time, her world had become the camp and all those trapped inside. She almost cursed herself for her selfishness but remembered she had been doing all she could.

"Yeah it's not a good life," said Vastal. "But hopefully most survive."

The guard up ahead yawned, peering out into the empty streets. He looked ready to do almost anything else.

"Alright," said Vastal. "Tempted to run up and just punch his lights out myself, but that would mean Viskel would have to start the ship and Viskel can't fly for shit."

Viskel shrugged.

"I can fly," he said. "I won't crash into anything."

"You make any more sound than necessary by bumping things with the ship and you'll alert whoever's in the factories," said Vastal. "Do that, and it's just one call to Silan and the group back in the camp is in deep shit."

"Could they shoot us down?" asked Tatsumaki.

Vastal chuckled.

"Those idiots were bragging about making a bazooka earlier today," said Vastal. "They don't have any fucking anti-aircraft guns."

"Alright," said Viskel. "Guess I'm distraction guy."

"Yeah," said Vastal. "You're a good fighter too, hit him hard."

"I…will try," said Viskel. "I'm still…not sure about this though."

"Viskel, you have to be," said Vastal. "For me, and for Tatsumaki. Now go."

Viskel sighed and bounded out towards the guard. The guard lazily turned his head to look at Viskel, and the two began to talk, out of earshot of Tatsumaki.

"Alright, hurry it up," said Vastal. "Get him out of the way."

The two kept talking for a bit longer, until the guard started to follow Viskel away from the building and into a nearby street. They walked until they were out of sight.

"I guess that's one way to do it," said Vastal. "Now hold on."

He rushed over to the door of the hangar, flung it open, and stepped inside. The place was enormous, illuminated by several giant hanging lights of yellow. Two ships sat side by side next to each other in the center of the hangar, and Vastal turned to a nearby ladder to get to a ledge overlooking the place. He climbed to the top and ran along the metal ledge to get to a controlboard atop a podium, adorned with flashing lights and a single lever. Vastal tore the lever down and leapt back down to the floor below as the doors to the hanger separated and pulled themselves open, quiet as a cat despite his hulking form. Vastal rushed to the nearest ship, lifted the door to the cockpit, and pulled himself and Tatsumaki inside.

Tatsumaki dropped herself off of Vastal's shoulders, visibly shaking with excitement and anxiety. She sat in a seat just behind the pilot's area, and Vastal shut the door to the cockpit closed. Grumbling, he switched on a lever and a small screen appeared in front of him in the cockpit showing the rear of the ship and the small door to the hangar, the one they had entered just moments ago.

"Come on Viskel, where are you," said Vastal. "Shouldn't take this long…"

"Maybe you should've helped…" said Tatsumaki.

"He's a damned good fighter, thought he could take that guy," said Vastal. "And I wanted to get the ship ready as soon as possible…"

Seconds passed. Then a minute. Vastal gripped the edges of the wheel of the cockpit until his knuckles grew sore. Then, a Soulless appeared in the doorway along with another right behind him. The one in front was bleeding from the head and was scowling. Neither of them were Viskel.

"Fuck!" said Vastal. He slammed his foot on the ground and the ship hummed to life. Turning his backscreen off, Vastal's heart quickened as the ship rose from the ground, and sped out of the hangar, out of the Earth's atmosphere within a second.

"That's…that's not good," said Tatsumaki, her eyes wide. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she thought of what might happen to everyone at the camp. "Vastal, what the hell is going to happen now?!"

"I don't know!" said Vastal, more panicked than Tatsumaki had ever heard him. "No clue where number two came from. Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!"

Tatsumaki slumped down in her seat.

"Well, we're all in now," said Vastal. "Plan…plan doesn't change. It's just you're going to have to be even faster now, what Silan's group lacks in coordination and organization they make up for in being loud. Really, really loud. If there's any sort of problem, they'll be sure to tell him."

"I noticed," mumbled Tatsumaki.

"Well, we'll be at the outpost soon," said Vastal. "I'd let you borrow my ship, but to be honest…"

"You want to go back," said Tatsumaki. "For Viskel."

"I…do," said Vastal. "Fuck it. Just fuck it. Dying to help you guys and Viskel out is probably the best way I can go by this point." He reached down at his side and began to snatch the handle of his machete, pulling it out from his sheath and bringing the blade to his arm. He froze when he heard Tatsumaki gasp from behind.

"Don't," she said. "You don't need to punish yourself."

"It's…not that," said Vastal, though he wasn't even sure anymore. "Just…just a habit."

He slid the machete back, sighing all the way.

Tatsumaki rose from her seat to gaze out the windows of the cockpit. Outside, there was nothing but black, the stars going by so fast that they looked like continuous streams of white rather than the tiny specks that Tatsumaki was used to. She laid a hand on Vastal's shoulder as he drove, her eyes still focused on the spectacular sights above.

"Thanks for all this Vastal," said Tatsumaki. "You don't know…you don't know how much it means to me."

"You're right," said Vastal. "I don't. The look you got in your eyes when I told you he was close…don't think I've ever felt that much for anyone."

"I love him," said Tatsumaki. "And miss him, so badly. So badly." Tears began to stream out of her eyes. She blinked them away as a massive white void came into view. "Oh God, I'm going to lose my mind when I see him, I don't know what I'm going to do…"

"Well you best be ready soon," said Vastal. "Because we're almost there. Nice thing is, I just have to follow the path, watch out for hostiles. The Nothing is habitable even for you, just be sure to never touch the void, _ever_. Remember the way to go, and remember, red button, light flashes, green lever. Middle console."

"Got it," said Tatsumaki. "For the…for the new ship."

"Yeah," said Vastal. "You'll need the extra firepower. And well…you know the rest. And oh."

He reached down into a side compartment of the ship, and pulled out a couple of glowing bandages. Tossing them back to Tatsumaki, he said:

"For your ribs. We usually kept at least some bandages in the ship for pilots."

Tatsumaki wrapped them around her torso, shuddering as they went to work on healing her cracked bones.

"You're a good person Vastal," said Tatsumaki. "I'd hug you if you weren't driving."

"Save it," said Vastal. "For your man. He's waiting for you, and I'm sure he's been through hell to get here just like you have."

"I hope he's ok," said Tatsumaki. It was too much for her to handle, the thought of her friends and sister in danger behind but the love of her life just ahead. She shook with excitement and fear at the same time, wondering just what on earth was in store for her. "Oh God, when I see him…"

The ship entered the Nothing, flying high over a path below. Vastal deftly maneuvered the ship through the void, following along several narrow paths and taking turns at ninety-degree angles. As he turned onto a wider path, he noticed a crowd of Soulless in colorful armor chasing a smaller group of Soulless back down the path, running around like tiny rats down below.

"The hell?" muttered Vastal.

He kept going until he spotted a building not far ahead. Sighing, Vastal let the ship down, landing onto the path below and sending black dirt spraying everywhere.

"This…this is the place," said Tatsumaki. She stared up at the oppressive white abyss of the Nothing, half-expecting it to make some kind of awful sound at her but hearing nothing.

"Yep," said Vastal. "Total shithole. Don't touch the void, you'll lose whatever touches it. And don't talk to anyone but the people you know. Got it? Just follow the path until you make it to that building up ahead, and check out the hut that looks like the one we came from. Alright?"

"Got it," said Tatsumaki.

"And remember the path back," said Vastal. "Just follow along the wider path forward, then take a right, follow it for a bit, then take the first left and you're out. Do not take any other paths. Alright?"

"Forward, right, then left," said Tatsumaki. "Red button, then light, then green lever."

"That's good," said Vastal, a tiny smile spreading across his face. "Good luck Tatsumaki, I hope you find him."

"Thanks," said Tatsumaki. "I hope you find him too."

Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around Vastal, pulling him back into his seat. Vastal sighed.

"You…you're quite something," said Vastal. "Damn, makes me wish things were different, life would've been a hell of a lot different if it weren't for that fucking dictator…"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "But you and me are gonna take him down."

"We'll do our best," said Vastal. "But so long Tatsumaki. We both got work to do."

Tatsumaki released Vastal, who sniffled at her as she opened the side door and began to step out onto the path. She landed onto the dirt below, walking away from the ship and listening as it rose into the air and flipped around to head back home. Just ahead was the building, the bodies of Soulless strewn all around the front along with the wreckage of a burnt-out vehicle of some type. Tatsumaki swallowed and took her first step forward, her face pale and her heart beating heavy with every footstep she took.

. . .

Secter watched in silent agony as Koros examined the damage done to the ship. Secter wrapped a bandage around the slice Koros had left on his face. He had found the bandage in a container, and while his face hurt less, his spirits were ruined. The mood was gloomy, and only Sycamore was only able to find some peace in the fact that he had kept Koros and Secter from killing each other.

Everything had gone quiet outside. No one was sure if the Drummers were dead, or if they were hunting down the remnants of the losers. For the moment, the trio were too tired to pursue regardless.

Slowly Secter peeled the bandage off of his face, rubbing at the skin underneath. The glancing blow had already healed for the most part, a few tiny scabs along a light cut over his cheek. He sighed and rose from his seat as Sycamore leaned near the holes in the wall, occasionally glancing outside. Comforted at the lack of Supremacists, Sycamore looked back to the blinking machines along the wall, wondering just what the hell they were for.

"Don't know what any of those consoles are for, haven't see them before," said Sycamore. "Any idea, Koros?"

"No fuckin clue," said Koros. "I have no idea how the Supremacy does all their shit."

"Great," said Sycamore. "Ugh."

"I'm going to take a look around," said Secter. "Just for a second, need some fresh air for a bit. Or…whatever the hell kind of air is out there."

"I'll go with," said Sycamore. He was still worried about Secter, whose spirit seemed so battered that he could barely stand. Pain, both emotional and physical, had taken a heavy toll on them all.

The two of them stepped outside, Secter grimacing at all the bodies strewn throughout the field in front of the outpost. The stench of fading Soulless, sickly and sweet, was already rising through the air, like fruit doused in alcohol.

"Wonder what happened to all the drummers," said Secter. "Don't see any more."

"Not sure," said Sycamore. "They could've all died far as I know. A shame, they had some messed up thinking but they were kind to us."

"Yeah, still better than most other groups out there," said Secter. He turned to look down the path and spotted someone heading their way, a short woman in a black dress and curly green hair.

Secter rubbed at his eyes. He must've been hallucinating from the pain.

"The hell?" he asked. "Uh, Sycamore?"

"Hmm?" asked Sycamore, looking up from a dead Drummer to Secter.

"Do you…see that?" asked Secter. "You are seeing what I'm seeing right?"

"Uh," said Sycamore. He squinted, seeing a woman down the path. "_Uh_."

"You're seeing it?" asked Secter. "I'm not just hallucinating or going insane?"

"No, I see it!" said Sycamore. "That…that looks like-"

The woman burst towards Secter in a dash of psychic speed, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around an astonished Secter. He stood still for a second, eyes wide, as if he still couldn't quite believe what was happening.

"Secter!" said Tatsumaki. "Secter, oh God it's you, it's you Secter, it's really you!"

"T…Tatsu?" asked Secter.

"Yes, it's me silly!" said Tatsumaki. She looked up at him, tears streaming out of her eyes and the biggest smile Secter had ever seen on her face, which was saying something. "I've…I've found you."

Secter's heart exploded. He rose Tatsumaki up to his face, crying as she pressed her nose against his. He could feel her, she was real. Pulling her in close, the two of them kissed as Secter swung them both in a circle, the tendrils of Tatsumaki's dress flying in the wind. They kissed again and again, their tears mixing on their face as they couldn't get over just how happy they were for each other.

"How?" asked Secter as he pulled back from their last kiss, gazing up into her shining eyes. "How did you-"

"It's a long story," said Tatsumaki. "But Secter, you have no idea how happy I am right now. How happy you're alive!"

"I…I've had a rough time," said Secter, his voice turning to a thin rasp as his sobbing overcame him. "But this is all worth it, it's all worth it, I love you Tatsu, I've missed you so much…"

"I thought about you every day," said Tatsumaki. They clung to each other as they kissed, deep and passionate and without a care in the world for they had each other again.

Sycamore watched on, clutching his hadns into a little ball in front of his chest. He let out a tiny squeal as Tatsumaki pulled her head away from Secter's and turned to look at him.

"Sycamore?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "It's you Tatsumaki, it's really you!"

"It's me," said Tatsumaki, smiling at him even as tears ran down her face. "I'm so happy you're ok too."

"Thanks…" said Sycamore, scuffing one foot in the dirt.

"If it weren't for Sycamore I'd be rotting in a jail, maybe even dead," said Secter. "He's been invaluable to me, more than a help, he's been my best friend."

"Awww thanks," said Sycamore, embarrassed. "But you've been the same to me too Secter. God knows you've saved my ass more than once."

Tatsumaki gripped onto Secter's shoulders, as if afraid that letting him go would make him disappear.

"You're going to get your hug too Sycamore," said Tatsumaki. "Just let me have this for a second."

"Of course, of course," said Sycamore, holding his hands up and stepping back.

Tatsumaki looked back up at Secter, her chest turning warm as she spotted him smiling back at her. All the love in her soul poured out through her expression for him.

"I've been doing everything I can to get back to you," said Secter. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"You don't have to apologize," said Tatsumaki. "None of this was your fault."

Both of them were blubbering through tears, emotional wrecks finally finding some comfort in someone. For once they could break through their grim worlds to have peace, a burst of happiness.

"I…I know," said Secter. "But I've just been…so worried about you."

"I was worried too," said Tatsumaki. "Almost…almost thought you were gone for a while. But I kept going, I knew you had to be up there somewhere."

"I had a feeling you were alright too," said Secter. "Oh God Tatsu, I'm going to lose my mind, I'm going to cry my damned heart out, I'm so fucking happy to see you again."

"I missed that," said Tatsumaki, her voice trembling. "You calling me Tatsu. I missed our talks, I missed how you held me, I missed how you made me feel, I missed everything…" She sobbed into Secter's chest, Secter swaying from side to side as he held her close to his heart.

Sycamore watched the two of them over at the hangar, his mind ready to explode as he thought of questions to ask Tatsumaki. Even still he held his tongue, not daring to interrupt Secter and Tatsumaki's reunion.

Koros stepped out from the gap in the wall to see Secter hugging Tatsumaki, before the two looked back up at each other and started kissing. He raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, what gives?" he asked Sycamore.

"That's Tatsumaki," said Sycamore. "I don't know how, but she got here."

"It is?" asked Koros. "Huh, thought she'd be taller."

Sycamore elbowed Koros, who winced. Glaring at Koros, Sycamore spoke:

"Don't mention it," said Sycamore. "Seriously. Let them have this, they deserve it more than anyone I know."

"Alright, alright," said Koros. "I'll let them have their little session." He turned away from Sycamore and headed back into the hangar, a smile on his face that was hidden to all except him.

Tatsumaki and Secter separated again, Tatsumaki's heart pounding. She wanted to hold him for longer, to keep kissing him until she grew tired, but she knew they had to go.

"Guys," she said. "I know this is all sudden, and I know there's a lot to talk about, but we have to go. My sister and the rest of the group could be in trouble, we have to go back _now_."

"Back?" asked Sycamore. "How?"

"One of the guards helped me out," said Tatsumaki. "Gave me directions, knows how the hangar works, you guys are close, so come on!"

Secter set Tatsumaki down, who separated from him and ran towards the hangar. Before she reached the gap in the wall, she swiveled and leapt into Sycamore, hugging him for a few seconds before pulling herself away and dashing into the hangar. Sycamore barely had time to hug her back before she left. His heart turned warm after Tatsumaki had crossed through into the hangar.

Koros glanced over from the broken ship as Tatsumaki ran over to the consoles against the wall. Secter and Sycamore followed her inside, both of them looking confused as Tatsumaki ran to the console in the middle of all the rest and slammed her fist against a red button. A light came on towards the top of the console, and Tatsumaki pulled a green lever. Smiling, she turned back to the group, who were all watching her.

The red square that the ship sat on parted open to reveal a black chasm underneath. Slowly the ship began to fall, being dragged along into the darkness by some unseen machinery. After a few seconds the ship was gone. Then, a new ship rose out of the shadows, unblemished by any explosions. It rose to the top as Koros's mouth dropped open at it, and the red square closed itself again underneath the new ship.

"How the fuck?" asked Koros. "That was it?"

"I told you!" said Sycamore. "That we could look around! We could've figured this out!"

"Hurry and open the doors," said Tatsumaki. She squinted over at Koros.

"Oh, this is Koros," said Secter, pointing to him. "He's a bit of a dick, but he helped us out."

"Eh," muttered Koros.

"Got it," said Tatsumaki. "And trust me, I want to talk more, but Silan and his people have got my sister and friends in a camp, and I think they're gonna find out I'm gone soon. Silan's not gonna react well."

"On it," said Secter. "And…camp?"

"We'll talk later!" said Tatsumaki. She looked over as Sycamore opened the side door to the cockpit. Koros nodded and ran up to the ledge at the side of the hangar, finding the controlboard and pulling a lever to allow the door to the hangar to shudder apart.

Tatsumaki and Secter followed Sycamore into the ship, with Sycamore clambering into the cockpit. Koros came running and jumped inside as well, sitting across from Tatsumaki and Secter after shutting the door behind him.

"You're still coming Koros?" asked Secter.

"Well no shit," said Koros. "Said I'd help kill Silan, gonna see this through to the end."

Secter had a tiny smile stretch across his face, which grew wider as Tatsumaki leaned against him. She brought one arm over his chest.

Sycamore pulled the ship up and floated it out of the hangar, hanging over the battlefield layered with bodies.

"Alright," said Sycamore. "Uh, which way?"

"Turn left and follow the path down," said Tatsumaki. "Then take the first right, then take the first left and you'll be there."

"Oh!" said Sycamore. "I didn't know…we were so close."

"Welcome to the Nothing," said Koros. "Getting people lost, even Soulless, is its specialty."

Secter hugged Tatsumaki, his body shaking as he felt her warmth against him again. It had been so long since he had been able to hold her, he felt like crying again.

"Tatsu…" said Secter. "What happened? What's going on back home?"

"Silan put me, my sis, Saitama and several others into a camp," said Tatsumaki. "Everything he's done has been to try and crush our hope and make us utterly miserable. Everyone else lives back in the cities, in some kind of factory to make weapons or something, haven't seen them much…"

The ship lurched forward, Sycamore replaying Tatsumaki's directions in his head over and over.

"Huh," said Koros. "Surprised Silan was able to pull off something so organized, the slimy bastard. Just seemed like an average sadist to me."

"It's not that organized," said Tatsumaki. "He split his whole group up, probably just to keep the nicer ones closer to us until he yanked the chain on them. And from what I can tell, his lieutenant guy doesn't get any respect, sure as hell doesn't deserve any."

"So…we might be able to break them apart," said Secter. "I've seen a lot of his Supremacists, they don't fight as hard as you might think."

"Yeah that whole thing sounds more like him," said Koros. "It'll be an uphill battle, wish those damned Drummers didn't all die or run off or whatever."

"How…how do you know Silan?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Eh, he tried to do the same thing with me and some other Soulless once more or less," said Koros. "Had us at an outpost, tried weird methods to try and get us to break for his enjoyment and ego. He only had some success, he ended up leaving for one reason or another. Clever guy, good talker, but doesn't understand people as well as he thinks and ain't much more than a typical psycho. They're a dime a dozen out here, though from what I remember, Silan's kind of strong…"

"He could hurt one of his people with powers alone," said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah…" said Koros. "Might be several normal Soulless strong, power-wise anyway…We're best off strafing the fucker with the ship, catch him out in the open before he hides someplace."

"Sounds like a plan," said Secter. "And how many people do you think we're up against Tatsu?"

"Don't know, fifteen maybe?" said Tatsumaki. "Maybe twenty? I didn't meet them all…"

"Had worse odds," said Koros.

"We're out!" shouted Sycamore.

The three people in the back rushed to the pilot's seat, crowding Sycamore as they gazed out to see stars and space. Secter gasped as a rush of familiarity overtook him. He was heading home, yet again.

"Oh it's good to see actual stars again," said Sycamore. "That void gets so tiring…"

"So, what's our plan?" asked Koros, looking over at Secter.

"I…" said Secter. "Don't know the layout of the place. But we'll go for Fubuki and the group at the camp first, like you said gun down anyone who fights with the ship's guns. Take out Silan as quick as we can, he's the main threat."

"Good thinking," said Koros. "Silan thinks he's a God, those who worship him are bound to scatter once their so-called deity falls like any other loser."

"We'll be back home in a minute," said Sycamore. "Everyone be ready."

"Secter…" said Tatsumaki, glancing over at his bandaged arm. She reached around his back and rubbed his arm up and down, her fingers grazing over the rough ridges of the bandages. Leading Secter back to his seat, she looked up at him with sadness welling into her throat.

"I know you've probably gone through a lot," said Tatsumaki. "You looked so tired when I first saw you…"

"It's been hard," said Secter. "But I kept myself going thinking about you, and everyone else."

"You did light up when you saw me," said Tatsumaki. "And… I know there's probably a lot on your mind."

"All that's on my mind is you right now," said Secter. "I'm just happy you're back. And of course I lit up, you're the light of my life."

Tatsumaki let out a tiny cry, her eyes burning from the tears that threatened to pour through for what felt like the millionth time. She collapsed into Secter.

"You're still the same old goof," she said. "You're still you."

"Of course I am," said Secter as he kissed her on the top of the head. "We're still each other. I kept going for you and everyone else, and you did the same. We won't let Silan, or the Nothing, or anything else break us. We know better than that by now."

"Yes, yes we do," said Tatsumaki. "I just wish we had more time…"

"There'll be lots to talk about soon," said Secter. "But first, we have to get rid of Silan. If your sister is in danger, then we have to _move_."

"I hope she isn't…" said Tatsumaki. "But she very well could be, it's so hard to tell with Silan's people whether they're gonna act fast or not."

_Damn it Vastal, _she thought. _You should've brought my sis too, it wouldn't have made things more difficult…you leaned too much on us getting back fast…_

"Do Silan's people think their lives are in danger?" asked Koros.

Tatsumaki sniffed as she raised her head from Secter's chest.

"I mean…maybe?" said Tatsumaki.

"Sycamore, step on it," said Koros. "Her friends are probably in trouble."

"Trust me, I'm going as fast as the ship will allow," said Sycamore, his eyes narrowed. "Going to kill that fucking bastard, he's not hurting Fubuki or anyone else."

Secter peered down at Tatsumaki, chuckling softly to her.

"Sycamore's been real worried about your sis," he whispered to Tatsumaki.

"Is that right…" said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah, he's got a soft spot for her," said Secter. "I hope you guys didn't blame poor Sycamore for Silan coming, it really wasn't his fault. Sycamore's become my best friend out here, he's done a lot for us, he deserves better."

"We…were worried at first," said Tatsumaki. "But Vastal made it clear to me that it wasn't. A few people know, but we'll have to spread the word some day. Silan implied to everyone that it was Sycamore's fault."

"Is that all that bastard Silan does?" asked Secter. "Use people or manipulate them to make them feel bad?"

"It really is," said Tatsumaki. "And he's killed several people…Mumen, Lily, and Atomic Samurai."

"My God…" said Secter, his eyes widening. His heart turned cold for a second. "Poor Fubuki, poor everyone…that's…utterly horrible."

"Earth in sight!" said Sycamore. "Get ready!"

"We're going to avenge them," said Tatsumaki. "Make Silan pay, make him realize that he hasn't broken us and never will."

"That's the spirit," said Secter. "You're so strong Tatsumaki, it always amazes me."

"I got it from you," said Tatsumaki.

Secter chuckled.

"Funny, I could say the same thing about you," he said.

Tatsumaki clung to Secter in his seat, as if afraid that letting him go might make him disappear forever. Secter felt the same. They held each other as the Earth rushed into view, both of them staring out of the window. Defiance was their name as the place where Silan held lost souls captive grew closer and closer, and while they trembled a little with fear as they thought of the future, they knew that ultimately, they were the strong, while Silan and his group were the weak. The only problem were those still on the ground, their fates in the balance as Secter, Tatsumaki, Sycamore, and Koros readied themselves for a fight.

. . .

Vastal's ship blazed through space, cutting through the void like a knife through the darkness. He clutched at the controls, rocking in his chair as he contemplated. Everything in his mind was going so fast, fast as his ship could move, quicker than he ever thought possible. His chest pounded as he thought about what could be happening back down below. For now, he would have to be enough. Was he enough? He might not be.

Vastal grimaced as he thought of Viskel laying dead on the streets, Silan standing over him with a twisted smile on his face. He imagined Silan going back to the camp to discover Tatsumaki being gone, his rage engulfing the planet and all those within it, eventually even the universe turning to fire from his fury.

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about that.

_The hell should I do? _he thought. _Should've let Fubuki go with, they might not get back in time now, no telling what the hell those guards did, if anything at all…_

Vastal's arms began to ache for no reason. He rubbed at his right one, wondering why they would hurt now of all times. Normally they never pained him, barely an issue even when he sliced through his own forearms. It was always a dull pain, there but not enough to bug him anymore, done so many times that it hardly mattered. Yet he had still always done it, and his arms hurt him now…

_It's all so stupid, _he thought. _This whole goddamned thing. It was so easy to get Tatsumaki out, hell, we probably could've left with the whole group so much sooner. Silan would've chased, but we could've fought, if I had just made myself care, if I had just pushed myself not to think about just myself and Viskel…_

_ All under the guise of a damned psychopath. Was this your plan too, Silan? Did you plan for me to turn against you? Surely you knew I was growing more to resent you, but was this not your plan? Did you always see me as some kind of rival, keep your friends close but your enemies closer type deal? Or am I overestimating you-_

Vastal stopped. He chuckled, his body shaking as the Nothing behind him vanished from sight.

_I must be, _he thought. _Even you, even you Silan, for all your talk, you make mistakes and are just a pathetic little sadist, aren't you? You barely organized anything at all, do you even care? Was it just to hurt people? Why did I help you with this, am I too used to hurting people? Of being hurt? Where the hell is Viskel?_

He began to laugh harder, his chest hurting as he slammed his body into the controls before recoiling.

_Ha…ha, _thought Vastal. _I wasted my life. I wasted my life, and put others in danger and hurt them for no reason, didn't I? And I didn't even care, didn't I? And you wanted it that way, didn't you Silan? All a waste haha, all a waste, haha! Just one big clusterfuck, we never went up, you just dragged us down and even you don't know what the hell you're doing!_

Vastal fell back in his seat. He shuddered.

_Goddamnit Vastal, get your head in the game, _he thought. _You're focusing on the past when at present you're hurtling towards death. Need a game plan, will be back very soon. _

He leaned back forward, his body a mountain over the valleys of flashing lights.

_There's a few options here…_he thought. _Could strafe Silan's damned building, would be tough to hit the room he might be in since it's deeper inside though, plus the building is from Soulless steel, makes it more resistant…better not damned miss too, he could shoot me down, might even be strong enough to bring my ship down through powers alone if he can bring a Soulless or Volunteer to near death himself. I could try ramming too, but that's just as risky. Or…instead of that, I could pick up the rest of the group, bring them back to Tatsumaki and the rest, and we could all go in an attack…could work. Would have little time to look for Viskel though, and it would depend on what's happening on the ground, but if I can get the group out of there, I could get em close to the Nothing and out of harm's way for a bit I hope. Of course, this puts the idea of a surprise attack further in jeopardy, and that's our best shot…_

Vastal slammed his fist on the controlboard. Ahead the Earth loomed, like a blue star amongst the night sky.

_Think dammit, think! _thought Vastal. _I…alright, I fly close to the damned place, see what the hell has happened, if I get lucky shoot Silan, if things are still normal there…pick up the group. Yeah. Shit, I'll have to move fast if I do that, if Silan finds out they're gone and in my ship, he could teleport them right back, much prefer to just kill the bastard, just kill the fucking bastard I'm tired of him!_

He clutched at his torso, his fingers poking into the small hole in his chest. Wincing, he pulled them back out.

_Fuck it, I pick them up,_ thought Vastal. _Regroup. Help fight. Look for Viskel. Pick up group so they're not in danger as of right now. Silan will hurt them whether I'm there or not. I'll take them away quick, hopefully before Silan realizes, hopefully he'll think they're all still asleep or in their huts, it's still kind of early, then by the time he realizes something is wrong, we hit him hard. There's still time, we still got this. I hope. Unless he's already been alerted. He could've been. They didn't know what was in my ship, just that one was taken. But Silan could know by now. Only one way to know for sure._

He tore the ship through Earth's atmosphere, the vessel humming as it emerged through the clouds. The day was sunny, and to Vastal's surprise, the camp down below was empty. Not a soul in sight.

Vastal blinked. He swallowed as a rising tide of fear threatened to clog his throat.

_Did they not alert him yet? _he thought. _Did they even bother?_

Pulling the ship closer, Vastal's craft hovered several hundred feet above the top of the main building of the camp. As it hovered in place, a siren went off from down below, echoing out through the speakers in the courtyard. Vastal slammed on his controls and the ship went rushing to the courtyard, landing right in the center. Turning, he saw Fubuki, Saitama, and Bang emerge from Fubuki's hut.

_Shit! _he thought as he tore himself out of the seat, the chair spinning wildly as he left it. _Pray to God that those alarms weren't because of me, might've been Silan finally doing something._

He ran to the door on the side of the ship and flung it open. A shocked Fubuki watched him from a distance, taking a step forward as if the ground had turned to molten rock.

"Get in!" said Vastal. "All of you! If we're quick enough, we can regroup, forget about a surprise attack!"

Fubuki glanced over at the others.

"If you stay, Silan will find out," said Vastal. "About Tatsumaki. And he'll hurt you, bad. Let's go!"

Fubuki called out to the inside of her hut, and turned to rush at the ship. It must've been the fastest she had ever run in her life, the world turning into a shaky blue blur as she leapt inside. Along with her came Saitama with Genos on his back, strapped along through a tight rope of white. Bang, then Metal Bat and Garou and King emerged from the hut, all of whom dashed inside with King being the last one in. By the time King shut the door behind him, Vastal had run back to his controlboard and was lifting the ship back into the air. Checking the back-vision panel, he saw that the doors to the main building were still closed. Nodding, he ripped the vessel into the sky.

"What the hell happened while I was gone?" asked Vastal.

"N-nothing," said Fubuki. "We all just went back to my hut and waited for you all to get back."

"Nothing…" said Vastal. "Until now."

"Yeah, the sirens…" said Fubuki.

"Either bad timing, or somehow I set them off," said Vastal. "Doesn't really matter, I'm getting you all out. Fuck it, I'll help you fight too, why the hell not."

"Where's Viskel?" asked Fubuki.

"I don't know," said Vastal. "We got separated."

"Separated?" asked Fubuki.

"He attacked a guard, and I had told him-" began Vastal.

A beam of yellow tore through the center of the ship, lighting up Fubuki's face as it streamed just inches in front of her nose. It exited out of the ceiling of the ship, leaving a clean hole both at the top and the bottom. Fubuki stumbled back as sparks and tiny pieces of metal flew from the energy beam's exit.

"To the back of the ship!" said Vastal. "How the fuck did he hit me?!"

"Who?" asked Fubuki as Saitama pulled her towards everyone else, huddled against the rear wall of the ship like a group of cornered animals.

"That was an elimination launcher, the hell is he doing?" asked Vastal. "He could've killed one of you, does he not even know that I have you all? Did he not even check? Hell…does he even know about Secter being at the outpost? He might not've checked the logs…"

"Vastal, none of us know what you're talking about!" said Saitama, his brows furrowing in anger as he kept one arm over Fubuki's waist. "Just drive!"

"He might try to shoot us down!" said Vastal. "I don't think he fully knows what's going on, hasn't checked yet!"

"You're surprised he's trying to shoot us down?" asked Garou.

"Not me," said Vastal. "But you. Fuck it, it doesn't matter, we're getting out!"

Another ship burst through out from the city below, blasting away at Vastal's craft with roaring cannons on the wings. Gigantic streaks of crackling yellow energy pulsated through the sky, each one as large as a skyscraper. Vastal's body cranked to the side as he turned the ship, gleaming death erupting all around him.

"Now what?!" said Saitama over the explosions of energy.

"Enemy ship!" said Vastal. "Hold on to each other, we're going straight up!"

"There's a hole!" said Garou. "Hole in the ship! We can't go to space with a hole in the ship!"

His words were drowned out by the sound of more explosions, rocking the craft and sending the group shaking from side to side. Vastal snarled as the ship below him flew out in front, and he pulled the ship downwards to face it, turning horizontal to chase the enemy.

_Can't pursue, can't be here, _thought Vastal. _Silan could teleport the group back, I couldn't stop him, he must not know they're in here, somehow didn't see them get in my ship…alright, down the bastard out front, fly the hell away._

He fired at the grey speck of a ship out on the horizon, smiling as one of his bursts slid through a section of the enemy's vessel and sending hunks of metal into the air. Vastal's ship drew closer and closer, the other ship hovering along slowly towards the sun. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Vastal continued to fire, more of his bursts hitting the back of the enemy and shattering a wide part of the engine area. Smirking, Vastal readied a final burst until the enemy ship flipped up into the sky, above his own.

_What the hell? _thought Vastal. _Where on Earth are you going, you bastard?_

He tilted the ship's nose up a bit, the entire thing shuddering as it readied itself to fly back up. As the craft came to a slight angle, Vastal heard the other ship rocketing down from above. It was already above him somehow. It was over. Vastal turned back to the group.

"Stay at the back!" he screamed.

The enemy ship plowed right down the center of Vastal's. Metal screeched upon metal, shards flying every which direction. Fubuki raised both hands, a crackling green shield appearing in front of her and the group. Pointed pieces of metal bounced off of the shield as the enemy ship flew out from inside Vastal's, vanishing completely. For a moment, Vastal's ship hung in the air, suspended as if it were in some kind of sky-blue gelatin. Then it began to fall, the cockpit tearing away from the rest of the ship with a shellshocked Vastal still in it. The rear ripped itself free and began to fall back towards the city.

"Hold on!" said Fubuki, keeping the shield around them in a bubble within the confines of the wrecked ship, all of them pressing against the back wall. The air flattened them as they fell, a hundred tons of air pressure weighing them all down. Fubuki's head pounded as she kept her arms outstretched, shards of metal landing on the crackling green waves in front of her and sitting there like black tears in the fabric of reality itself. She kept herself steady against the back of the ship, until it slammed into the ground and sent the entire group flying forward. Fubuki lost her focus, the psychic shield fading as the remnants of the ship smashed to pieces all around them.

Everyone had fallen over into a pile of bodies, groaning and wiping away at bits of metal and dust that had clouded the area with the vessel's collapse. The piece of the ship that they all lay in was sitting upwards towards the sky, piled into the ground like a bomb from above. Fubuki clawed at the floor, desperately trying to pull herself away from the group and back up to the hole which served as their only exit.

The ship rocked as something began to tear through the ruined walls. Fubuki turned, spotting two armored claws rip away at the shredded metal, taking great effort to finally finish off what was left of the ship. Saitama sat up, rubbing at his head as he stared at the hands. His eyes widened.

"Fubuki get back," he said.

The wall was thrust aside. In stepped Greidhof, his face hidden behind his helmet. Sighing, he stepped over the scattered members of the group and grabbed Fubuki by the throat, ripping her from everyone else and tossing her back outside. Fubuki landed on the edge of a street, her head banging against the corner of a sidewalk. Bright colors flashed in her eyes for a second before Greidhof loomed over her like a shadow to block out the sun.

"You're not your sister, but you'll do," said Greidhof.

"Wait-" said Fubuki.

Greidhof reared back and punched Fubuki in the gut, a freight train of steel and vicious strength delivered right to Fubuki's stomach.

Fubuki doubled over, the fist plowing through her skin. As she retched at the ground, Greidhof punched her again, this time in the ribs. Fubuki felt warm fluids rise up to her mouth as her insides shifted. She howled with pain, coughing and sputtering as Greidhof reared back again. Blood leaked from her mouth, Fubuki's face going white as she pleaded silently up to Greidhof to please not hit her again.

Greidhof smashed Fubuki across the face with his fist, the steel ridges on his knuckles shredding through the side of her skull. Skin peeled away from where Greidhof hit her, Fubuki falling to the side as blood rushed from her head.

"Stop…" said Fubuki. "Please stop…"

"You know," said Greidhof. "I'm starting to understand why Silan likes doing this from time to time. Especially to something like you."

He kicked Fubuki in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards. Blood flowed out in a gory arc through the air as Fubuki's head was torn back, her body collapsing and radiating with pain. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Hey!" yelled Saitama as he emerged from the ship along with the others. "Knock that off, she didn't do anything to you!"

Greidhof spun around and punched Saitama in the side of the face, knocking both him and Genos to the ground. A gash was torn along Saitama's cheek, and he grimaced as he rubbed at it while he propped himself back up.

"You should know damned well by now," said Greidhof. "That we couldn't care less about who you are or what you think you've done or deserve."

"Save some for me," hissed Maske as he emerged from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "Oh yes, we're going to have fun soon."

"Wait for Silan," said Greidhof. "Ugh, it's a damned mess."

"Oh dear oh dear," said Maske, his head tilting as he approached the wreckage. "What have we here…"

"No damned idea," said Greidhof. "No one knows what the fuck's going on, we just got that alert about the ship leaving not too long ago, and then the ship's back? Or is it a different ship? And these idiots are in it?" He gestured to a broken and bloodied Fubuki, who was now surrounded by the members of the group. They propped her up, with Bang pressing his hands to Fubuki's head wound.

"Yes…" said Maske. "I hate to admit it, but for once I agree with you Greidhof…our reaction time should've been much quicker, much more organized."

"Oh, the chief troublemaker finally agrees," said Greidhof, crossing his arms. "To think, had you not been riling people up and getting them to attack the humans, we probably could've made entire anti air guns by now!"

"Unknowable," said Maske. "And that's not what the group wanted Greidhof…they wanted to expel their hate upon others. And I indulge that, I _love _that."

"Yes I fucking get it," said Greidhof. He turned back and sighed at the wreckage. "Oh, Silan is not going to be pleased."

"Certainly not," said Maske. "I would not dare to be in the way of his wrath today…"

"Ah well, we got the alarm sounded," said Greidhof. "Ship is down, gotta find the damned pilot. Couldn't see him or these bastards when I heard about the ship with my vision, obviously he'd have to be a Soulless or Volunteer. Though it'd have to be one of them to pilot it anyways."

"And Viskel and Vastal, missing…" said Maske.

"Missing?" asked Greidhof.

"Well, they should be here, right?" asked Maske. "If they were back in the camp, they should've responded…unless Viskel was hiding like a little cretin again. For as vicious as he can be, he is still so cowardly…"

"Very true," said Greidhof. "Ugh, if I was leading this whole entourage, that ship never would've left in the first place…"

"I wouldn't say that around Silan…" said Maske. "And oh, look! It's the bigger sister. I'd prefer to hurt the smaller one, where is she?"

"I…don't know, actually," said Greidhof, glancing around the wreckage. "Did she…did she get killed by Silan's blast? Or by the other ship?"

"Oh dear," said Maske. "Oh dear, oh dear. Silan would not be pleased. He has a special spot for her."

"He enjoys torturing her the most," said Greidhof. "Always has a special spot for those with willpower. Never understood why he wastes so much time in trying to break these people, he easily could've just killed Fubuki on the spot or something."

"It's an artform," said Maske. "He relishes it. Takes his time. Beautiful really, I wouldn't have that restraint. Though even he breaks a little I suppose…"

"Enough talking about me," said Silan, striding down the street towards the wreckage. His presence surprised both Maske and Greidhof, who shot to attention as he passed them and neared the group. Fubuki glared up at him with teary eyes, Saitama and Bang pulling her away from him. Silan looked down upon them, witnessing their hatred. There was nothing behind his eyes. Perhaps there never was.

"This…is…unusual," said Silan. "For once, I'm not totally sure what's going on. And yet, here I find all of you."

"I pulled her out of the ship," said Greidhof. "Other half landed somewhere in the city. Means the pilot's probably still alive, the fall will not going to damage a Soulless."

"Give me the rundown Greidhof," said Silan, still staring down at Fubuki. His lips were pulled back as if he were getting ready to scream at her. Fubuki quivered, blood still running out of the side of her mouth. She was shaking with terror, but she couldn't stop glaring up at him. It was the best thing to do, she couldn't back down.

"Well, uh," said Greidhof. "Earlier we got that report about the ship leaving, and what seemed to be some kind of fight with the hangar guard, and now there's this ship, likely the same ship, with the group in it. Botched rescue attempt?"

"Seems like it," said Silan. "But who? Who is the-"

He grinned. Fubuki winced.

_Ohohohohohoho, _thought Silan. _Vastal, isn't it? Didn't even see him in the camp, no way he's still in the comms room. Did I underestimate you, Vastal? I knew you'd try something eventually, but this brash? And why now? What kind of an idiot are you, you know I'd be able to hunt you and all your little friends down if you left. Even still…this angers me, our response so delayed, so catastrophic, so idiotic! I let the rest of the group off the leash for too long, and now we get utterly embarrassed by this. Oh, there will be hell to pay, hell to pay! Where are you Vastal, I long for you to come back. To explain your moronic plan._

He glanced around the group, examining each member with tired eyes.

_Wait, _he thought. _We're missing someone._

"Where is Tatsumaki?" asked Silan.

No one had an answer. Greidhof scuffed a foot along the street.

"Where is she?" asked Silan. "Is she still hiding in the ship?"

"I…I don't think so," said Greidhof. "You'd think she would've come out or her friends pull her-"

Silan whipped back around, his eyes an inferno of pure fury. He stomped his foot into the ground, the road below crunching underneath.

"Then fucking check!" screamed Silan. "For all your talk of perfection and order, you didn't even check!"

Greidhof yelped and scampered over to the ship.

"I was…discipling Fubuki," said Greidhof. "She-"

"Another word from you," said Silan. "And I will kill you. Rip you to shreds. Look. In. Side."

Greidhof gave a slight nod. He clambered into the wreckage of the ship and peered around, frowning when he saw not the slightest hint of Tatsumaki being there. He stepped back out, his head hanging.

"She's uh," said Greidhof. "Not there."

Silan turned. Slowly. His body cracked and creaked as he finally faced the group, his eye twitching. He crept over to Fubuki, who tried to crawl back but found herself frozen to the spot, her muscles refusing to work anymore. The rest of the group was knocked back by a psychic wind, knocking them all further into the street. Fubuki sat alone and shaking.

"Where is she, Fubuki?" asked Silan. "What are you all playing at?"

Fubuki's lip quivered, but she dared not to speak.

"I will ask you again," said Silan. "And do not lie, because I will know. Where. Is. Tatsumaki."

"Perhaps…" said Greidhof. "Perhaps your blast got her, or the ship…"

"No…" said Silan. "No…Fubuki would be sobbing if that were the case. She is scared here, but there is no grief. No, only terror." He sighed, clutching at the air in front of him as if wringing someone's neck. "Now answer me Fubuki, or _else._"

"She…" said Fubuki. "She's not here."

"I can see that," said Silan. Saliva began to drip from the corners of his mouth, his body rising up and down as his breaths grew heavy. "Where did she go?"

"I…" said Fubuki. "She…"

"She's in the Nothing," said Saitama. "There, are you happy you bastard? She's gone."

"The Nothing?" asked Silan. The viciousness in his eyes disappeared, only to be replaced with sheer confusion. "What? How? Why?"

"She was taken there," said Saitama. "Now leave Fubuki be, she didn't have anything to do with this."

"Vastal took her?" asked Silan. "To the Nothing? Why the hell…"

"That is…" said Maske. "Most unusual…"

Silan placed a hand over his mouth, narrowing his eyes. He thought and thought, yet nothing was coming to him. Why on earth would Vastal do such a thing? Finally help Tatsumaki escape, yet take her to the Nothing, the hell beyond hells, of all places? And then come back to help the rest? It didn't make sense, unless…

_Comms room, _thought Silan. _In contact…with outposts…Vastal was in there…_

It started to click. It still didn't make sense. It couldn't.

_No no no, _thought Silan. _That's not possible. It's not. _

A twisted grin spread over his face.

"Ahhhhhhhhh," said Silan. "Ohhhhhh, this keeps getting better and better."

"What…" said Greidhof. "What is it?"

"Impossible," said Silan. "Oh, it's clicking, it's clicking, but it can't be!"

He stomped his foot on the ground. Immediately, all of the members of the hero group were teleported in front of him. Silan reached out to Metal Bat and snagged him by the throat, with Metal Bat clawing at his hands. Silan squeezed had enough to make Metal Bat's face turn purple.

"You fucking imbeciles," said Silan. "Oh, you don't know, but I was being _kind _to you. Kind, trust me! And now, oh don't tell me you all didn't have a hand in this. Now, you've pissed me off to an extent I didn't think possible. Metal Bat, you thought I was cruel before? Just wait until I turn your sister into a quivering mass of flesh, incapable of saying anything but 'help' every night before you go to sleep! You'll be reminded every damned night, of how you caused her pain, how you can't alleviate her suffering! I was being kind before, now I have no such restraint!"

He flung Metal Bat into the nearest building. Metal Bat smacked against the corner and rebounded into the street, chunks of brick and a small spatter of blood sprawling out onto the ground.

"Everyone to the fucking camp!" screamed Silan. "Greidhof, gather all the damned Soulless, Maske, watch the group! I have to check…check on something."

"But…what about the downed pilot?" asked Greidhof.

"Ignore that for now!" said Silan. "We might…we might have greater concerns."

Maske and Greidhof exchanged glances.

"We need a plan, no more scrapping ourselves together in the wake of a crisis!" said Silan. "This isn't the Nothing, we do not just wait to be attacked and react accordingly!"

"Attacked…" whispered Greidhof.

"Move!" said Silan. He teleported away, taking the group with him. Maske did as well.

Greidhof ran towards the factory, panic exploding throughout his mind as he wondered what the hell Silan meant.

. . .

Silan and Maske stood to the side of the group, both Fubuki and Metal Bat bleeding profusely from their wounds. To Silan's front was the huts, and he pointed at the group after pushing Maske away from him.

"Watch them," said Silan. "I will return."

"May I…" said Maske. "Do something to any of them? Especially the psychic woman?"

"No," said Silan. "I had something planned for her." He snarled at Fubuki, who wiped more blood out from her mouth. "Had something planned for you, you little bitch, and your sister was supposed to see! And now she's not even here!"

Saitama and Bang stepped in front of Fubuki, causing a chuckle from Maske.

"Laughable," said Maske. "They still think it matters…"

"I will return," said Silan. "Oh, I'm getting angry now. Oh, this better not be what I think it is."

He stormed off to the main building, ripping the front doors open and stepping inside. He rushed to the comms room, drips of liquid falling down to the floor from in-between his black teeth. Bursting into the comms room, Silan approached the giant grey box that served as the comms hub, and began to fiddle with various buttons on the machine. He smashed his fist into the side of the box and waited as it began to play the most recent conversation. A voice began to play, and Silan's eyes widened as he recognized who was speaking back. Rage flared through his body.

** Sender: **This is a message from outpost 301, you know the one, by the damned edge! Can you hear me? Come in!

**Vastal: **Yes I hear you. What is it?

**Sender: **We're under fucking attack, don't know by who! Whole damned army out there, everything's exploding!

**Vastal: **And what do you want me to do about it?

**Sender: **I don't know, if you have some people then send them! We're light on troops here, and they blew up our truck! They got inside too, some guy named Secter I think, you heard of him? He might be the strike leader…

**Vastal: **Yeah I've heard of him. Sounds like you're fucked, buddy.

**Sender: **What the fuck? Who the hell is this? Isn't this supposed to be Silan's group? Let me speak to him, he'll send us some damned back up, there's so many-

(Transmission ended).

Silan backed away from the machine, a single hand clamped to his chest. He slid against the back wall, eyes wide.

_No… _he thought. _No, that's impossible. Secter, at the edge, already? And with that many followers? That can't be true, that can't be true. It…it took us years to get out! Years!_

Fury replaced fear, building within Silan's mind and snowballing into a cancerous cloud of hate. He pulled his staff out from behind him and swung it downward onto the comms machine, screaming in anger. Again and again he smashed the machine to bits, sparks and hunks of steel flittering out from the wreckage.

"Years!" he shouted. "It took us years! And yet here you are, somehow back already?! Was that where Vastal took her?! This is impossible, we are not ready…"

Silan groaned as he lifted his staff out from the crevice it had made in the top of the machine. Dusting himself off at the sides, he dragged himself from the comms room and headed back towards the main doors. He made his way outside, feeling as if dozens of people could descend from the clouds and gun him down at any moment. The clouds themselves stretched on in the sky, further and further to him, as if the whole world was white…

In front of him stood Greidhof, his arms crossed and his foot tapping. All of the rest of the group were behind him, with Maske standing off to the side over by the hero group. Most of the Soulless looked confused, some even mildly irritated.

"What's going on?" asked one of them.

Silan counted the numbers in his head.

_Five, ten, _he thought. _Twelve there, along with Greidhof, Maske, and me. Viskel and Vastal missing…_

"They're all here," said Greidhof. "Minus our pilots up there. Ship was smoking, think they're hovering around someplace to fix it."

Maske tilted his head as he stared at Silan, his face obscured by a pale white visage of a smiling human whose expression was torn just a bit too far.

"Dear Silan," said Maske. "Something troubling you?"

Silan rubbed the top of his head, taking in a deep breath.

"Yes," said Silan. "Enemies might be coming for us."

Confused looks from his group. Fubuki stifled a tiny squeal of joy.

"I listened to the audio logs," said Silan. "And by the way, Vastal and Viskel are dead to me. If you see them anywhere, kill them on sight. Traitors, the both of them."

Gasps from the group. Greidhof rolled his eyes.

_What a surprise they ran off, _he thought. _Bet you saw this coming too, eh Silan? Just not like this huh. Not prepared, not prepared. Always knew I should've been in charge._

"Tatsumaki was taken," said Silan. "Back to the Nothing…and I think…I don't know for sure, but I think she regrouped with Secter, and he seems to have followers. They attacked an outpost near the edge, but I don't know if they have a way back here. Even if they don't if they're at the edge it's only a matter of time…"

"Then what the hell do we do?" asked one of the Soulless, a being with a scarred face and a staff with multiple gleaming blades at the end.

"We have to prepare…" said Silan, his eyes wide. "Prepare defenses, whatever we can…"

"Screw that, we run!" said one of the Soulless.

Silan looked up, clenching his jaw until it hurt.

"You listen to me," snarled Silan. "The bastards could be here any moment! There's no time to run, they will hunt us down if you scatter like cowards! We build defenses!"

"And what do we use?" asked Greidhof. "What's the plan? Do you even have one? Wasn't Vastal always the plan maker when things went south quick?"

"Do not anger me Greidhof," said Silan. "I will end you so quick…"

"What's the plan?" asked another Soulless, panic setting into his expression. "What's happening? Where's Vastal and Viskel? No one told me about any of this!"

Murmurings and terror amongst the group. Fubuki and her friends looked on with utter shock, Fubuki's heart pounding in her chest.

_Secter's ok, and he has friends? _she thought. _And they're afraid, they're afraid! Even Silan looks pale!_

"All of you, calm down!" said Silan. "We have dealt with things like this before."

"How many of them are there?" asked a Soulless.

"I don't know," said Silan. "Likely not many."

"Likely?" asked Greidhof.

"Quiet," said Silan. "Be quiet you fucking imbecile!"

"But when are they coming?" asked another Soulless. "What do we do?"

"You're God, tell us!" said a different Soulless.

Silan's eye twitched, his mind rushing through all the different options. The best would be to set up defensive positions in the case of an aerial attack, but they would need some time for that, and of course, since this wasn't the Nothing, attacks could come from anywhere…

Silan couldn't believe it. Back in the Nothing they had had their fair share of attacks, but always either had a place to flee, or he could dispose of his group, finish off the surviving attackers, and start from scratch. But what he didn't think of, what he didn't think was possible, was that a big attack could happen here, and despite the Nothing being the purgatory of souls there was at least someplace for him to go there. Here there was nowhere to run to.

"You're afraid," sputtered Fubuki, blood still oozing from her mouth. "You're afraid."

Silan's head creaked sideways to stare at Fubuki. He felt his blood run hot throughout his body.

"You don't know what to do," said Fubuki, chuckling. "Your God has failed you, he doesn't even know what to do."

The group of Soulless behind Greidhof began to converse and stare, some sneering at Fubuki while others looked at Silan with fear.

_Most of these Soulless have only been in his group for a month or two, _thought Greidhof. _They follow him, but a lot seem…expendable? Their loyalty isn't too established yet, no wonder they didn't fucking listen to me, they're hardly above animals. _

"Silan's…" said Fubuki, pausing as she coughed up some more blood. "In a corner…he doesn't care about any of you, he'll run off as soon as he thinks he'll be able to. He doesn't know what's going on, he just hurt us for fun, because he likes it, do you really think he cares about you?"

Some of the Soulless in the group shivered. Maske let out a tiny snarl.

"Shall I take care of her?" he asked.

"No, I will do it," said Silan. "The rest of you, figure out your damned formations and positions. That goes for you too Greidhof."

"You all saw!" said Fubuki. "Back when Silan had people fight Secter! He sent you in little groups just to entertain him, he could've overwhelmed Secter but he didn't-"

Silan extended a hand. Fubuki's became frozen to the spot. Saitama rushed forward to try and help against the invisible assault, but was sent flying into a nearby hut, Genos crunching behind him as they collided against corrugated Soulless steel. Fubuki struggled to get up, her throat growing tight at Silan's slow psychic crunch of her body.

"You…" said Fubuki. "Can freeze me…all you want…but you can't freeze our spirits…you can't stop us…from hoping you'll fall…from fighting on for what we believe in…"

Garou, Bang, Metal Bat, and even King advanced towards Silan as the Soulless neared Fubuki, but all found themselves frozen as well.

"I've been waiting for this," said Silan.

A giant glass tube with a metal backing rose from the ground, dirt flying everywhere as it erupted into the sky. It was large enough to fit a single person, green liquids shimmering and bubbling within it.

"I was hoping Tatsumaki would be here to see this," said Silan. "But I guess now's as good as ever."

"What…" said Fubuki. "What is that?"

"What your dear little degenerate sister went through in the lab," said Silan, smirking. "What she feared you to be in. And now, her fears come true."

_Sis… _thought Fubuki. _It'll be ok…_

Fubuki closed her eyes. Liquids rushed all over her, running all down her body and over her face. As she opened her eyes up again, she felt her throat closing up, somehow the liquids within the tank refusing to flow down all the way. She could breathe, but just barely, and she pressed her hands to the glass, feeling both her energy and her stamina drain away as the strange water flowed around her. For the briefest of moments she wanted to yell, to scream, but couldn't find the power to do so. All she could do was sit, sit in the hellish liquid encapsulating her and holding her hostage, and glare out at the black shadow outside of her tube as she prayed every breath would not be her last. Her chest burned, her body ached and bled, and she waited, hoping that Tatsumaki and Secter would come soon.

"That's much better," said Silan. "Maske, I'll leave you in charge of her for now…"

"A shame," said Maske. "I wanted to turn her into a nice little string of fleshweb, make use of her pretty little face…"

"No time," snarled Silan. He walked by the frozen heroes, all of them paralyzed with expressions of shock or utter incredulity at the prison Fubuki had been forced in. Silan walked up to Greidhof, who was staring over at the group of Soulless. None of them were calm, muttering or whispering, some even thinking about running.

"Not good," said Greidhof. "Even worse that Viskel and Vastal are gone. Those were the lieutenants Silan, these people are new and are under threat, you didn't direct them…"

Silan smacked the back of Greidhof's head, sending him stumbling into the group.

"Everyone get ready to fight," said Silan. "Or you die. Spread out, find positions in the city, kill Vastal or Viskel if you see them. The enemy could be here at any time."

"We're not ready for this shit!" said one of the Soulless. "We're going to die!"

"Silence!" said Silan. "You have guns, use them!"

"Everyone calm down," muttered Greidhof as he recovered from Silan's latest blow. "We can defend against this…"

"I can see it in his eyes, he is afraid!" shouted one of the Soulless.

"He is God!" yelled Maske. "He has no fear!"

"You stick with me," said Silan. "And the only way is up. You know this. I led you here."

"Everyone, to a post…" said Greidhof.

"What post?!" shrieked one of the Soulless. "We just fucked around until one day there's people coming to kill us!"

"You will defend!" said Silan. "Or you will die!"

Above, there was a sound, like metal being scraped against round. A ship, no doubt, streaming right towards them. Divebombing.

"Ship!" yelled Greidhof.

"Not ours, not ours!" yelled one of the Soulless in the group.

Silan turned around, his heart racing. A grey speck was flying towards them on the horizon, coming closer and closer with each second. He leapt backwards and began running towards the main building, his hands tightening further and further. As he neared the main building, he looked back to see his followers scattering in the wake of a rain of massive yellow energy beams erupting from above.


	11. Chapter 11

Secter tore the door on the side of the ship open, with Koros stepping over beside him. Before the two of them lay the camp, Tatsumaki's eyes widening as she spotted both her sister and the startled heroes of the group not far off. Koros saw the remains of a Soulless, a yellow and black mass twitching on the ground after he had failed to escape Sycamore's strafing attack. Koros smirked and blasted the near-dead Soulless away with his pistol as Secter began firing at the other members of Silan's gang, all scattering and scrambling away from the hovering ship, with some of them already leaping over the wall back towards the city. At least two Soulless had been hit by Sycamore's energy cannons, and Koros snickered as he fired and fired at the cowardly bastards who ran before them. Secter said nothing, the veins in his temples bulging as he ground his teeth together while he shot.

Tatsumaki ran over to Sycamore, grasping his shoulder and pointing over at Fubuki. She raised her voice so loud it made Sycamore flinch.

"It's my sister!" she screamed. "You have to get her out of there, it's Fubuki!"

Sycamore glanced over at Fubuki, who was suspended in her transparent coffin of strange liquid and swirling blood. She looked as if she were about to stop breathing at any time, her face paler than the moon itself, but nonetheless her chest never stopped moving.

"Fubuki…" said Sycamore, his breath catching in his throat. "Shit…shit, I promise we'll get her out, but we have to focus on the Soulless first! We can't run out and grab her, we'll be out in the open!"

"Secter!" said Tatsumaki, turning back over to him. "Hurry, it's my sis!"

Secter peered up from the last Soulless he had blasted through the back, his breath catching in his throat and threatening to suffocate him just as the liquids did to Fubuki. A rage so intense filled his body at the sight of Fubuki, a burning sensation all throughout every corner of his brain. Secter wasn't sure if he had ever been this angry in his life, not even when the Commandant had come back to haunt him…

"We're getting her out of there!" said Secter. "Sycamore, circle around, the bastards are on the run, I think we can clear it out and land if we get more of em!"

"Hahahaha," said Koros. "What did I tell you eh? And what did you see back in the Nothing? Slimy Supremacists, nothing but a bunch of cowards and losers. Look at them run, it must be us versus a dozen of them and they still piss themselves!"

"Alright!" said Sycamore. "Hang on to something, I'm circling around!"

Secter motioned at the heroes assembled near Fubuki, a sweeping gesture with his arm to signal for them to get the hell out of the way. All of them looked on with hope in their eyes, scrambling to move back towards the huts. As Saitama began to fall back, he pointed at the rear side of the tube Fubuki was in, before turning and fleeing further away. Secter narrowed his eyes at the place Saitama had pointed to, and could just barely make out a sliver of flowing white fabric hanging out from behind the tube.

The ship flew up higher, the remaining cowering Soulless in the camp beginning to look like ants as Secter and everyone else rose to the clouds. Koros kept a nasty grin on his face as he kept firing down below.

Secter felt a tug at his side and turned down to see Tatsumaki. Her eyes were underlined with dark circles, her eyes shining as tears threatened to break through once more. The poor woman looked like she hadn't slept in days, and her expression was ensconced in both terror and a rising fury.

"Secter…" she said, her voice falling apart as she spoke.

"I saw," said Secter, grim. "I know, I saw."

Tatsumaki collapsed into Secter's side, pulling him tight as the wind howled around them. Her dress flowing around her, Tatsumaki began to sob into Secter's ribs, with Secter wrapping his injured arm around her back. He frowned down at her, his heart aching for the one he loved most in the world.

"Why…" said Tatsumaki. "Why does he do this, why does it have to be like this…"

"He's a monster, that's all he is," said Secter. "Tatsu I swear, I swear we'll get Fubuki out, I promise. But you have to be strong, we both have to be strong…"

Tatsumaki sniffed as she pulled away from Secter, looking up at him through shining eyes.

"I know…" she said. "I know…I'm scared, but I believe in us Secter. We…we can do this."

"Yes we can," said Secter. "Trust me, I'm scared too, and I know what I'll do to Silan when I get my hands on him…" Secter's jaw shifted as he clenched his teeth together, sliding them back and forth like a saw of enamel.

"Secter," said Tatsumaki, raising both of her arms up to him.

Secter turned and smiled at her. With a great heave he lifted her up and brought her face to his, the two of them kissing as Sycamore pulled the ship back around for another strafing attack towards the end of the camp.

"Oi," said Koros. "Don't mean to break up your little romance parade, but we have a job to do." He leaned against the end of the opening at the side of the ship, silently praying that the wailing sirens down below would cease.

Tatsumaki and Secter pulled away from one another, Tatsumaki taking a deep breath as she lowered herself back to the ground.

_Once again, this could be the last time I ever see him or he ever sees me, _thought Tatsumaki. _But I won't let it get to me this time, we have to stay strong, we have to stay strong…_

"We need a damned plan," said Koros. "Much as I like hunting down the pieces of trash down below, they can still get organized at this rate."

"How many did we get?" asked Sycamore from the cockpit.

"At least four," said Koros. "Couple downed with your ship, Secter and I got some. Lot of em running back for the city, don't see too many in the camp."

"Alright," said Secter. "Enough running in blind. We focus on the camp first. Go for another run, Koros and I will try to clean up whoever's left. Then, Koros, Tatsu and I will get out of the ship and get everyone in the camp to safety while you provide air support Sycamore."

"Sounds good," said Sycamore. "Get Fubuki out of that fucking thing."

"Please…" said Tatsumaki. "Every second, it hurts…"

"We will," said Secter, crouching down and holding Tatsumaki by the middle of her arms. "We will."

Koros squinted as he spotted a smoking grey dot on the horizon, speeding straight at them. Like a burning bullet it flew, coming closer as it homed in on its target.

"Shit!" yelled Koros. He gripped the handle of the sidedoor and flung it shut, the end of it bashing into its crevice. "Enemy ship!"

"What?!" asked Sycamore, his eyes bulging as he scanned the sky for his query. There it was, flying straight at them from their left, yellow blossoms appearing all around the fronts of its wings.

Sycamore yanked on the controls, several streaks of yellow passing just underneath the underbelly of his ship. His fists tightening around the controlwheel, he veered the ship to the right, the vessel jerking at the sudden movement. Koros and Secter were sent stumbling, with Tatsumaki holding on to the wall and grabbing Secter's hand to steady him. Meanwhile, Koros slumped back against the wall.

More blasts of energy erupted around the ship. The back end of Sycamore's fighter burst with sparks as a ray of elimination energy collided into it. Sycamore's heart began to race. He flipped the ship around, the fighter doing a one hundred and eighty degree turn to face the smoking vessel head on. Snarling, Sycamore let loose with the cannons as he hovered above the camp. His ship shook as the cannons under the wings fired, the shots meeting their mark and tearing through the enemy ship. The enemy responded in kind but found most of their cannons failing to function, only able to send a few volleys of yellow back. Some of them scorched the top and sides of Sycamore's ship, but were little more than glancing blows as opposed to the catastrophic hits that the other ship took.

"Ha!" yelled Sycamore, leaning forward in his seat with a big grin on his face. "How do you like that, asshole!"

The other ship was burning now, and it ceased its firing. Instead, it lurched forward and began to fly towards Sycamore as fast as it possibly could. Sycamore froze, sucking his lips back.

"Oh," he said. "So that's what you're going to do."

Sycamore heaved the controlwheel up, and the ship obliged, speeding up into the air just as the smoldering wreck passed underneath it. The enemy vessel went into a spin of burning destruction as it veered back towards the city, sinking further and further until it became hidden behind the buildings below. Then there was a crash, the sound of metal bursting against concrete.

"Gotcha," said Sycamore.

"Nice," said Koros as he launched himself away from being plastered against the wall. "Could work on the damned driving skills though."

"I told you to hang on," said Sycamore. "Ahh, alright, alright, back to the plan."

He pulled the ship back down and began to dive towards the camp. Not a Soulless was in sight by now, and all the heroes of the group had run back over to the huts. Sycamore glanced over at them before settling his gaze on a single Soulless that darted out from behind one of the huts towards not far from where the group was. Sycamore planted his finger on a button behind the controlwheel, waiting for the Soulless down below to be centered with his cannons. As the target ran right into view, Sycamore began to put pressure on the button.

His fingers were scorched as a blinding ray of yellow light shot through the bottom of the cockpit and out through the top. Sycamore launched himself as far back into his chair as he could go, recoiling as blood began to seep out from the lacerations on his fingers. In one second, there was a beam of energy ripping through the ship's controls right in front of him, and then the next, there was nothing. Little but blackened controlboards and a controlwheel that had been burned into a molten mess. Sycamore gasped. His confidence, however tiny it had been earlier, had been replaced by terror. He squeezed his ribcage with both arms and swiveled his chair to look back at a shocked Koros, Tatsumaki, and Secter.

"Hang on," said Sycamore as the ship began to nosedive straight towards the city. "Hang on to something, hang on!"

Secter spotted the ruins of the cockpit and gripped Tatsumaki, pulling her into his arms and stumbling towards the nearest chair before sitting down next to Koros. The three of them all hurriedly strapped themselves in, Tatsumaki's fingers fumbling at the strap that was far too large for her. Secter reached over, his face pale as he tore the strap down over Tatsumaki's chest and clicked it into the locking device. They looked up at one another, panic threatening to seep in. Yet despite this, the look Secter got from Tatsumaki was not one of someone who had given up, nor was the look Secter had given Tatsumaki one of the same. Instead, they exchanged tiny nods, a small motion against such a massive setback but a huge step for them both.

Sycamore turned back in his chair, his chest tightening as he could see the ship rushing out from the end of the camp and heading right for the streets beyond. The black tar of the streetway below came closer and closer as he braced for impact, swiveling the chair back towards the rest of the ship. He closed his eyes and clutched his hands over his head as he waited for the ruined nose of the ship to collide with the pavement. He waited and waited, until he didn't need to wait anymore.

. . .

Secter rubbed at the back of his head, before glancing around at the wall behind him. There was a small dent where his head had smacked against the wall, the back of his skull sore but otherwise the rest of him feeling just fine. He checked to make sure Tatsumaki was ok, and she gave him a small thumbs up even as she grimaced from pain after being rocked around so much. Koros ripped his seatbelt off and strode over to the side of the ship to retrieve his staff, smirking as he did so. Sycamore rose from his seat, groaning. He followed Koros over to the wall to get his rifle, surveying the ship and noticing that aside from the cockpit and the spots where the vehicle had been shot, the ship was undamaged.

"Well, so much for that," said Koros. "Time to hunt, boys."

Secter pulled himself out of his seat, unclipping his seatbelt and walking over to the sidedoor. Tatsumaki did the same, rubbing her forearms as she caught up to Secter.

"Alright," said Secter. "Don't know what the hell that was, but I guess we're going with plan B."

"Plan B?" asked Koros. "We didn't even have a plan A until you told us like thirty seconds ago!"

"Yeah well we're under some time constraints," said Secter. "Plan now is to get back to the camp as fast as possible, shoot any of Silan's people that cross our way."

"Agreed," said Sycamore, cocking his rifle and smirking as the weapon started to glow bright with energy.

"Nope," said Koros as he shook his head.

"No?" asked Secter. He narrowed his eyes over at Koros, who returned a defiant stare.

"Nope," repeated Koros. "You saw the bastards, they were running for the hills. You guys can go to the camp all you like, but I'm hunting down the runners before they have a chance to regroup. _If _they regroup that is."

"You think they will?" asked Sycamore. "They looked scared shitless after we strafed them."

"I imagine a lot of em already have had the fight taken out of them," said Koros. "But with Silan in charge, there's a chance they have contingency plans or they just might get pissed enough to want to fight, especially after we killed some of their buddies. Nah, I'm gonna stalk around the city, kill whoever I find, maybe check out that factory I saw. Probably got some neat weapons, maybe even speedbikes in there."

"We should stick together!" said Secter. "As best we can anyways, we have to get to Fubuki and the rest of the group."

"And you will, I'm sure," said Koros. "But I'm going a different path."

Secter and Sycamore exchanged uneasy glances.

_Is this…about him being alright with dying? _thought Secter. _The man just can't seem to get it through his head that there's more to life than this…he's too used to how things were about there, he's…what I was afraid of being like, so long ago._

"You won't accomplish much by getting separated and surrounded," said Sycamore. "Dying alone out there won't solve anything."

"Meh," said Koros. "Ain't gonna die quite yet. Can feel it, it's not quite my time. But maybe soon…"

"Guys, we have to hurry," said Tatsumaki. "Please."

"You're right," said Secter. "Let's go."

"You two head to the camp, kill whoever you find," said Koros. "I'll make sure you don't see any reinforcements from the city."

"Well…good luck then," said Sycamore.

"Yeah," said Secter. "If this is really what you want…then good luck."

"Thanks," said Koros. He smiled as he slung his staff around the back of his neck, and reached over to grab the handle of the door. "See you all on the other side."

Koros flung the door open, half-expecting to see several of Silan's gang members to be waiting on the other side to open fire. Instead, there was only empty street and howling wind, a few tattered leaves being swept up in the cool gale.

"We didn't land too far from the camp," said Sycamore. "Shouldn't take us long, we just have to be careful."

"Fubuki was in that tube…" said Tatsumaki. "Fucking Silan, you fucking bastard, you just do it to torture me!"

"We're going to make him pay," said Secter. "We're all stronger than him, he's the one who won't get written about."

Sycamore gave a small nod, while Koros raised an eyebrow.

"Silan will be a problem," said Koros. "Big time. Man's got the power of five Soulless or so, we'll have to get the drop on him or something to kill him."

"Five…" said Sycamore, fear seeping through his voice.

"Yep," said Koros. "But we've gone through worse. So good luck, and try not to bring too much attention while you're out there. Don't think the fuckers ran off too far, so try not to make too much noise unless you have to since us Soulless bastards hear real well. Keep quiet, run when you get close to the camp."

Sycamore swallowed. An image of Fubuki, her hands pressed against the glass while she screamed out into a swirling surrounding of liquid, filled Sycamore's mind. Straining his hands against his rifle, he stepped out into the street with Secter close behind.

Tatsumaki stayed close to Secter as both him and Sycamore departed from the ship, all of them waving back to Koros as he returned the gesture and went his separate way. Secter still couldn't believe that Koros was leaving them now of all times, but perhaps Koros had a point in trying to hunt down those who had left the camp. It seemed as if the majority of them had fled back to the streets anyways, and as Secter had learned, sometimes it could be dangerous to leave certain Soulless be…

No. There was no time to be thinking about this, at least not now. Secter still had to push ahead, one final effort to finally make things ok again. They wouldn't be perfect, there would have to be a lot of healing in the aftermath, but working to make things alright again was his specialty. He glanced down at Tatsumaki, who gave him a weak smile.

It was her specialty too. His heart filled with love for her, seeing the smile on her face always reminded him of how happy it made him to see her happy. There could only be one way of preserving this, and Secter would see it through to the end, no matter how many injuries he knew he would sustain. They would be nothing compared to the happiness that could follow if he succeeded.

Tatsumaki followed Secter through the streets along with Sycamore, her mind swirling with emotions. Every sound could mean death heading straight for her, but part of her didn't care anymore. She was afraid, yet not afraid at the same time. Only getting back to her sister, and making sure all of her friends and loved ones got out alright was on her mind, and while the main building of the camp loomed in the distance, she no longer felt that it towered over her. She saw Silan and his group scatter, she knew how he played his disgusting games, they were not invincible, they were cowardly, and weak, and pathetic, just as the Commandant had been before. Even if Secter and Sycamore were outnumbered, she knew that they were far stronger than Silan or any of his loyal servants could ever be. The idea gave her hope, made her chest warm, and the fact that Secter was back and still the same old dork with a soft heart whom she had loved for so long, it fueled her to keep going. They could do this, they only had a one more task. It was just a little more, no matter how great the challenge was, surely they could tackle it.

Sycamore walked next to Secter, his chin held high but still feeling like he was in Secter's shadow. Perhaps this was alright, it was Secter who had stepped up back in the Nothing, or so he had felt. And Secter had told him that he was worth something, that he had done much for the group, and Sycamore believed him despite the occasional nagging doubt. He was afraid of course, he had always been afraid of death, especially at the hands of bastards, no, cretins, no, _monsters _like Silan and his gang. But now, he had a purpose which drove him at his very soul, one which he had no conflict about unlike the ideals of before. He would save Fubuki and everyone else or die trying, and he was alright with this. Honestly he had little idea of how Fubuki would really react if he managed to get her out of her prison, but at his core he knew she'd be happy. It was all he really wanted now, was for everyone to be alright. He was tired of all this, tired of people like Silan merrily coming along and ruining peoples' lives without so much as a second thought. He wasn't going to take it anymore, and the fact that Secter and Tatsumaki marched on with so much determination into certain danger filled him with a sense of strength as well. How could they lose to someone like Silan, who ran on nothing more but sadistic glee and hatred? If they had made it this far, if he had dragged himself out of the Nothing to make himself a better person, then surely they could stand anything Silan could throw at them. Sycamore smiled as he approached an underpass, a lowered road underneath a bridge which led closer to the edge of the city and therefore the camp.

_Would you look at that, _thought Sycamore. _Already almost there. Hold on Fubuki, I'll be there soon. _

"Fubuki was worried about you," said Tatsumaki as they approached the darkened underpass.

"Huh?" asked Sycamore, glancing back at Tatsumaki. "Oh, sorry, was just thinking about things. But…she was?"

"Very," said Tatsumaki. "And we're going to make sure no one blames you for Silan."

"Oh…" said Sycamore. "Th-thank you Tatsumaki. I was uh, actually quite worried about that. About both. Ah…"

"You alright?" asked Secter, looking over at him.

Sycamore sniffed, rubbing at one of his eyes.

"I'm ok," said Sycamore. "I just want everyone to be ok."

"Just one more push," said Secter. "We're almost there, we're so close."

"I know," said Sycamore. "I'll do it, I'll do anything. I'll follow you guys to the ends of the earth, I've never had friends quite like you."

Secter and Tatsumaki both smiled at Sycamore. They knew Sycamore had finally found what he was looking for.

They had reached the underpass, Secter squinting and surveying the area but finding no signs of enemy Soulless. Sycamore watched their backs as they walked, with Tatsumaki nearly floating up towards the ceiling but remembering that the Soulless might be able to detect her powers should she do so. She kept her feet stuck to the ground.

"You think they'll be looking for us?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Don't know," said Secter. "All I know is that Fubuki's in danger, and we have to get to her quick."

"Yes," said Tatsumaki. "Yes…oh that fucking bastard Silan, trying to drag us both back…"

"All of us back," said Secter. "Sycamore was terrified to be back too."

Tatsumaki looked over at Sycamore with sadness in her eyes.

"Sorry Sycamore," said Tatsumaki. "I wasn't thinking-"

"It's alright," said Sycamore. "Really. And I know what you mean, he's trying to break all of us."

"Then he did a damned poor job," said Secter. "Because I'm coming for him."

"What's the plan when we get there?" asked Tatsumaki.

"You grab Fubuki and everyone else, lead them out," said Secter. "Sycamore and I will kill any of Silan's people if they're still around. Maybe even Silan himself."

"If he has the strength of five Soulless…" said Sycamore, his eyes widening. "Will we…will we even be _able _to fight him?"

"We'll have to figure that out when we get there," said Secter. "Like Koros said, maybe if we can surprise him."

"If we had time, we could go back to Silan's hangar," said Tatsumaki. "He might've had more ships, but of course, he has to fucking threaten my sister and all my friends like always…"

Secter couldn't help but give a tiny smile at the word "friends."

"We're getting close," said Secter. "We'll get them out, I promise."

"We have to hurry," said Tatsumaki. "Every second that goes by, makes my chest hurt just a bit more…"

Sycamore laid a hand on Tatsumaki's shoulder, rubbing it back and forth for a moment.

"It'll be alright," said Sycamore. "It's hard, but we just have to focus. We're almost there."

"Almost…" said Tatsumaki.

They were halfway through the underpass now, the sun shining down through the end of the short tunnel they were in. With no Soulless seeming to have pursued them, Secter started to rear back for a sprint, reaching back behind him to let Tatsumaki climb over his back. As Tatsumaki started to do so, they heard a loud humming noise sound off from the end of the tunnel.

Secter froze for a second, feeling Tatsumaki clamber onto his back, her arms draping and then locking over his shoulders. He turned over to Sycamore and motioned for the both of them to move to the side of the tunnel, onto a small elevated platform at the side of the road with a rusty red guardrail stretched alongside it. Sycamore gave a small nod and they both sprinted over to the side of the road, leaping atop the guardrail and ducking underneath it, the thin sheets of metal plastered over the red metal bars of the guardrail obscuring them from view. As they crouched down, two speedbikes entered the tunnel. A Soulless rode each speedbike, with the one up front pausing to turn towards the guardrails as the wind picked up around him and they reached the midway point of the tunnel.

The wind howled. To the side of the Soulless, there could be no mistaking it. Floating strands of neon green hair.

The Soulless yelled over at his companion and pulled out an elimination rifle from his back, blasting over at the guardrail and upwards towards the wall and ceiling. The other Soulless caught up to him and began to do the same, the two of them pulling slightly forward as they blasted madly all around the guardrail and the walls and ceiling above it.

Sycamore flung himself to the side as the bursts of energy exploded all around him. He landed a little bit closer to the end of the tunnel, while Secter dodged in the other direction. As they fell to the concrete below, a series of rocks and massive chunks of concrete were blown apart by the enemy Soulless's crazed shooting, and they were sent cascading to the ground below, crashing into the guardrail and street alike. Sycamore and Secter were now separated by a barrier of rock, twisted metal, and concrete that stretched up dozens of feet, leaving a space large enough for a car to fit through between it and the ceiling. A few cracks and holes were visible through the barrier, and Sycamore peered through the closest one to spot Secter sliding back towards the wall, firing at the Soulless who were still hovering in the street. They exchanged fire, with Secter hitting the nearest one through the torso a couple of times just as a few rounds tore through his shoulder. Secter grunted and shifted Tatsumaki to his other side, with Tatsumaki grimacing and clinging on to his back for dear life.

Sycamore grabbed at the hole in the wall and readied himself to tear it asunder, bringing his rifle up to his side with his free hand. The two Soulless out on the street darted forward on their speedbikes, the one who had been shot screaming and clutching at the oozing wound on his stomach. Secter pulled himself up and kept shooting at the two as they swiveled back around at the other end of the tunnel, readying themselves to charge back with guns blazing.

Sycamore pulled a section of rock away from the barrier, causing more of it to crumble down over and on top of him. He shrugged off the boulders and tried to take aim through the stormcloud of dust he had made by damaging the barrier, but found an elimination round fly through the dust and blast into his side.

"Agh!" said Sycamore, stumbling back for a second. He tilted his gun upwards as he clutched at the wound, a chunk of his flesh near the bottom of his ribs melted clean away by the shot.

"Sycamore!" shouted Secter from the other side of the barrier, his voice distant over the sounds of both him and the Soulless shooting. "Get to the camp, I can take care of this!"

"That's fucking nonsense!" said Sycamore. "Not leaving you behind!"

"I can fight back!" said Secter. "Fubuki can't!"

Sycamore's heart pounded in his chest. Secter was right, Fubuki was helpless against those left in the camp, and who knows what they might be doing to her. Even still, leaving Secter here alone, even if he had faced worse odds before, left Sycamore's stomach twirling into knots.

"Just go!" said Secter. "I'll be alright, you just have to run! I'll catch up later!"

Sycamore swallowed, but his uneasiness began to fade a bit when he spotted Secter fire a lucky round straight through one of the enemy Soulless's heads, the speedbike rider tumbling to the ground with half of his skull splattered all over the pavement. The speedbike went into a twirling spin of death and collided right into the wall, obliterating rocks and metal alike yet sustaining no damage itself.

"Go!" said Secter as he ducked just in time to avoid a volley of blasts from the injured Soulless, who had stopped midway down the tunnel to witness his fellow rider get his brains blown out.

Sycamore nodded and turned to run back towards the other end of the tunnel. He hated this, he really did, but he believed in Secter. The first volley of shots the riders had sent at them were panicked, inaccurate. Silan's people were afraid. This made Sycamore head rise as he dashed towards the end of the tunnel, glancing back as he heard more of the distinct _cracks! _of elimination weapons going off. He shoulders quivered as he swallowed.

"Good luck Secter," he said. "See you soon."

He turned and ran up the road out of the tunnel, spotting the main building of the camp and a long metal wall around it just up ahead.

. . .

Silan emerged from the main building, a staff in one hand and a glowing energy launcher in the other. He snickered as he watched the ship he had blasted fall out of the sky, and he crept towards the middle of the camp as he listened to it crash in the distance. Oh, what a sweet sound it was.

Maske emerged from behind the tube which trapped poor Fubuki, chuckling to himself as he listened in as well.

"An excellent shot," said Maske. "Masterful, truly masterful."

"They got ours, and we got theirs," said Silan, snickering. He straightened up as he peered around the camp, his eyes glazing over the bodies of the Soulless who had fallen under fire.

"Who else is in this camp?!" asked Silan. "Get over here, now!"

One Soulless, who peered around the edge of a hut at Silan's voice, shuffled out from his hiding spot. He held a long spear with both hands, the end of which culminated in a cluster of serrated pulsating blades of yellow.

"Just one," said Silan. "Of course. How many dead?"

"Don't…" said the Soulless. "Don't know. Four? Five? Maybe more…the pilots, they were shot down too."

"Yes, I can fucking see that," said Silan. He sighed as he moved towards the middle of the courtyard. "Clearly, you idiots are ill-prepared for even the most basic of situations."

"Nobody knew this was coming-" protested the Soulless. He was thrown into a hut at the wave of Silan's hand, smashing against the metal and making it crater towards the inside. Maske giggled at the sight.

"So," said Maske. "I remain here, I remain loyal. What is our plan, oh dear God?"

"Maske, I had you pegged for my newest lieutenant ever since I had acquired you," said Silan. "Consider today your promotion."

Maske clasped his hands together, delight oozing from behind his expression.

"But the plan…" said Silan. He gazed up at the sky, and stood still for a second. Nothing came.

"What is it?" asked Maske. "Do you hear more?"

"No…" said Silan. "Which is precisely the issue…"

"Oh?"

"If Secter had followers, they'd be here by now… Unless…"

Silan grinned.

"Unless they didn't make it," said Silan. "For one reason or another. Oh. Ohhhhhh. It could be, it could be! It could just be them…"

"Just Secter?" asked Maske.

"And likely his companion," said Silan. "Nonetheless, those two would be nothing against us, but so long as my group remain scattered and act like idiots, and Vastal and Viskel remain unaccounted for, they could do far more damage than they should."

"Morale is quite shattered at the moment…" said Maske.

"Yes, and once again it's up to me to pull you all back up," said Silan. "So! My plan. Maske, you and that idiot I tossed into the hut will remain here, and guard the group. Make sure no one leaves, and no one who comes to get them stays alive. I'm going to head back into the city, probably back to the factory to try and get everyone organized again. Likely most of them ran back there, the place being made out of our metal and all gives them far more cover against strafing…"

"Yes yes," said Maske. "Good thinking. We all know Greidhof couldn't handle keeping the group together."

"Of course not," said Silan. "Now you stay here, I will be _back_." He chuckled as he headed towards the wall. "And oh, if Secter truly is this outnumbered, perhaps I will have the pleasure of taking him _alive. _Oh, the things I will do to him and all of his friends if that ends up being the case."

"I am excited for it!" said Maske. "Oh, a shame I will have to be here…I will miss out on the action…"

"Not likely," said Silan. "If anything, Secter could be coming for you right now. He might be the only one left…"

"Ohohohohohoho," said Maske. "He must feel crushed now! A weakling! Human trash!"

"Trash indeed," said Silan. "Now stay. I will return."

He grinned as he bounded over the wall, dashing towards the city as he looked around for any signs of his worthless group.

Maske pointed at the Soulless who had been thrust into the hut, following his gesture up by aiming his finger at the ground. The Soulless groaned but obliged, jumping down from his steel crate and rubbing his back as he started to walk over towards Maske.

"You heard him," said Maske. "Keep an eye on the group, they're all cowering over by the huts."

"Yeah yeah," grumbled the Soulless.

_Fucking Silan, that wasn't even the first time he's done shit like that, _thought the Soulless. _But ah well, being in here is probably safer than being over where that ship crashed. _

He wandered over towards the group of heroes. Saitama and King gestured for everyone to circle around, and the remaining heroes formed a cluster as the Soulless watched with suspicion. Gripping his spear, the Soulless sat on the ground as Saitama began to converse with the group, quietly.

Maske turned back towards Fubuki, admiring the shivering woman as she hung suspended in lime-green liquid. Bubbles swam towards the top of the tube as Fubuki's chest shuddered, her struggle to breathe neverending as blood still streaked out from her mouth. Her eyes were half-closed, looking as if she were about to give up at any moment. Maske chuckled.

"Oh, it must be so terrible for you in there," said Maske. He ran his hand down along the tube, his fingers caressing the smooth glass as if he were running it along Fubuki's waist underneath. "Yet, I wish to play with you, dear Fubuki. You and your sister both have such nice faces…"

Maske glanced back over at the wall up ahead, staring at it for a few seconds. When he was sure the coast was clear, he turned back over to Fubuki's tube, ripped out his machete, and jabbed it through the glass, shattering a section of it to pieces. The liquid came rushing out, spilling all over Maske and the ground below. Maske snickered as he grabbed the remnants of the glass towards the top of the tube and tore it out, watching as Fubuki tumbled from the tube and onto the ground below.

Saitama heard the glass shattering from over where he stood, and looked over to see Fubuki collapse to the ground below. He started to break into a sprint, Genos bumping around on his back as he moved forward.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Leave her be, she didn't do anything to you!"

Maske peered over at the Soulless with the spear.

"Keep them in check," said Maske. "Or else I'll get angry and do things to those fools, and that'll get us both in trouble."

The Soulless sighed and rushed in front of Saitama, little more than a black blur as he materialized in front of Saitama and whipped the tail end of his staff across Saitama's face. Saitama was sent sprawling, the rest of the group catching him as he slid across the ground back towards them.

"You guys really are useless, aren't you?" asked the Soulless.

"Unlike your group," said Garou. "We're all still around."

"Nice one," said the Soulless. "Don't expect that'll last too long though."

"We might not be able to fight," said King. "But that doesn't mean we can't be heroes."

"You'll all be in the ground soon," said Maske as he hovered over Fubuki. "Gone and forgotten, like so many others."

Fubuki gasped as she started to rise from the ground, pushing herself up on shaky arms. The world was coming back into focus for her now, her chest aching from all the liquids that had flowed in and out. Her lungs felt like giant raisins within her chest, her throat burning as she coughed out lime green spit onto the dirt.

"T-Tats?" asked Fubuki as she blinked, heavy drops of sweat and ooze clustering on her eyelids. "Sis, did you get me out?"

"No no," said Maske, grabbing Fubuki by the back of her dress and lifting her to her feet. He spun Fubuki around so that she was inches away from his face, Fubuki wilting as she could make out every little wrinkle in his rotting visage. "It's just me."

. . .

The pilot emerged from the wreckage of his ship, grunting as his skin scraped against the jagged steel of the ruins of his cockpit. He sighed as he crawled out into the street.

"Fucking hell, what a day," said the pilot. "Gonna have to find those bastards, and skin em alive."

For a split second, the pilot noticed something dark and hulking approach him from the right. As he turned to face the stranger, a glowing machete was plunged through his face, tearing his head in half. The pilot let out a tiny gurgle as blood filled every remaining orifice on his face. The stranger yanked the machete out from the pilot's head and watched as he collapsed to the ground, no more sound emanating from his mouth.

The co-pilot was halfway out of the smoking cockpit when he saw his companion be killed, freezing in place as he recognized the attacker.

"You…" said the co-pilot. "Vastal…"

Vastal reached down and grabbed the co-pilot by the horns on the back of his head, tearing him out of the vehicle and tossing him into the street. The co-pilot screamed as he tumbled along the road, with Vastal following him close behind. Vastal pulled a leg back and kicked the co-pilot in the stomach, crushing his ribs. The co-pilot writhed and groaned, curling into a ball even as Vastal grabbed him by the neck. Tearing him upwards, Vastal held the co-pilot at eye-height, staring the Soulless right in the face. Hatred poured from Vastal's eyes, while water streamed from the other's.

"You brought me down eh?" asked Vastal. "Then tried to bring down the others?"

"I…I was just following orders Vastal," said the co-pilot, blubbering every word into Vastal's face. It did little more than irritate him further. "You know how it is."

"Yeah, I know," said Vastal. "I've known for a long time."

"You going to kill me, you bastard?"

"Likely."

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

"Where's Viskel?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"You fucking moron, he went after you, or your buddy. You were guarding the hangar, right?"

"My friend was, but I walked up when I saw Viskel going apeshit on him."

"And what happened?"

"Why the fuck should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll rip your organs out and forcefeed them back to you," said Vastal.

"You're…you're going to kill me either way!" shouted the co-pilot.

"I might let you live," said Vastal. "If you talk. Maybe. At the very least, I'll make your death quick."

"Well I can't help you anyways," said the co-pilot. "I just walked up and pointed a gun at him, and he ran off. We figured something was up, so we ran back. Dunno where your little friend went, last I saw him he was just sprinting towards some skyscraper in the middle of town."

"Good enough," said Vastal. "But you know it's time to go, don't you?"

"Yeah yeah," said the co-pilot. "But…tell me, was it a good run?"

"No," said Vastal. "We both wasted ourselves."

"Ah," said the co-pilot. "That's what I thought."

He raised his arms to the sides, eyes still watering.

"Go for it," he said.

Vastal sighed and stabbed the co-pilot right between the eyes, killing the Soulless instantly. Dropping the co-pilot to the ground, Vastal headed back towards the center of town, his mind ablaze as he contemplated.

_They fell not too far, _thought Vastal. _God only knows what's going on everywhere. Maybe I can find Tatsumaki, she can explain to Secter and whoever the hell else she has with her that I'm on her side. Gotta see if I can find Viskel too…_

A few streets away stood a single skyscraper, only a mile away from the hangar and sitting squarely in the middle of the city. Vastal squinted at the building.

_If I know Viskel, he'll be fucking hiding, _thought Vastal. _Had those guards not been in our group, he would've torn them up like veggies in a blender. But any amount of doubt and he runs off. Goddamnit Viskel, I don't have time for this. _

Vastal charged through the streets, heading straight for the skyscraper. Everything was oddly quiet, only the distant sound of a single siren radiating from the cop. Vastal smiled as he likened the alarm to Silan shouting, screaming at his subordinates to get their shit together as Secter rained death from the sky. It was liberating, to finally be free of that group and to be able to run free without worrying about other Soulless aiming to gun him down. The universe could be his oyster now, everything he had ever thought of during those lonely and oppressive days out in the Nothing with the sadists of Silan's group now within his grasp. He wondered if he would survive the ordeal, part of him doubted it and part of him didn't care. But a tiny piece of him, a burning piece, a bright piece, thought about the future. Perhaps he wouldn't stay here, his presence alone could cause people pain and terror. But maybe somewhere out there was something better, something he could really care about. He'd bring Viskel along too, if he could. Viskel deserved better as well.

Vastal reached the doors of the skyscraper and punched them aside, wood splintering into tiny fragments as his fist obliterated their frame. Stepping inside, he glanced left and right, yet no one was there. He walked into the main lobby, a dark and desolate area with grimy white tile underfoot. As Vastal approached the front desk, he heard a sobbing sound from behind it, muffled and wet. Vastal snarled as he grabbed the side of the desk, the steel crunching beneath his grip. He flung the desk towards the destroyed doors as he spotted Viskel cowering underneath.

"What," said Vastal. "The. Fuck. Are you doing?"

"Vastal?" asked Viskel. Tears were flowing from his eyes, his lips trembling as he stared up at Vastal.

"Yes you imbecile," said Vastal. "What the flying fuck are you doing in here?!"

Viskel shot up and ran over to hug Vastal, with Vastal tottering backwards as Viskel clutched him close. Keeping his hands off to his sides, Vastal sighed as he slowly brought them behind Viskel's back. He patted Viskel as he smiled.

"There there," said Vastal. "But seriously, why the fuck did you run off?"

"I…" said Viskel. "Got nervous. Was beating the guy, then another one showed, and asked me what the fuck I was doing. Panicked, and ran for the nearest big place. And then…I just kinda hid there. I couldn't think, I couldn't figure out what to do, I wanted to go back and help you, but I just…I don't know. Nothing made sense."

Vastal pushed Viskel away from him. Viskel stumbled back and tripped over a clump of metal that must've once been the remains of a desk.

"Listen here," said Vastal, pointing a single sliced-up arm down at Viskel. "I get it that you're conflicted. I get it that you're afraid. But you need to get your shit together, we need as much help as we can get. Tatsumaki needs as much help as she can get. The odds are against her, and you know it."

"I…" said Viskel, starting to cry.

"You sit here and cry, and they're going to die. We need to fucking move, you don't know or like a single person in Silan's group aside from maybe Silan himself, and you need to help me clear a path for Tatsumaki and her friends. They're way more deserving of happiness than anyone we know, don't you agree with that?"

"It's just…hard. To tear down all I know, I guess."

"Well we don't have time to think about that. Like Silan told us, getting back to the universe is a new beginning. And you know what, maybe he's right about one thing. Just this one thing. Every other time, he's just denigrated, or insulted, or injured us. Tried to put us in our place when in truth, he's the pathetic one. You need to be able to see this, you need to be able to come with me, I need your help to break Silan's group so Tatsumaki can get back to her old life. Though I didn't think it before…she deserves it. And you know this."

"I…want to help," said Viskel. "I…will try."

"Well?" asked Vastal. "Will you follow me then?"

"I…don't know. I…want to help, but Silan gave us everything, he's our God-"

Vastal snatched Viskel by the shoulders, shaking him so violently that Viskel considered vomiting for a few seconds.

"No!" shouted Vastal. "He told us that he gave us everything, when in truth, he just turned us into worthless monsters! We followed his every word, either out of fear or desperation, and are we better for it? No! We're worthless wastes of skin when we follow him!"

Viskel covered his face with his hands. Everything was falling apart for him, two different paths that he dared not choose between. Vastal let him go, leaning back.

"If you don't follow me now," said Vastal. "I'll have to let you go. You had your chance, and now there's no time to waste."

"I…" said Viskel. "I'm sorry…"

Vastal shook his head and turned around. He had an odd feeling this might be the last time he might see Viskel.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," said Vastal. "We have been through so much, yet you won't renege to Silan. I'll leave you be Viskel. Just remember, if you had come with me, we could've gotten to something better. Gone out for sandwiches or something." Vastal sighed. "And remember, leave…leave the cucumbers on the side."

Viskel looked up quizzically.

"Ohhh," he said. "Oh. I'll…I'll miss all that."

"It's the little stuff I guess," said Vastal. "Reminds me of a normal life."

"What it could be…"

Vastal shook his head and started for the door. As he reached the destroyed doorframe, he gave one last look over at Viskel, who was slumped down in defeat. Vastal sighed and left the building, heading towards the factory.

It didn't take long for him to make it there, the streets eerily empty. On occasion Vastal would look back behind him, more in anticipation than worry. However, he was always disappointed.

He reached the front entrance of the factory and smashed the doors open. Two Soulless were standing on the other side in the main hallway, the same room which they had heard Silan give his speech not so long ago. They jolted as Vastal approached them.

"Oi!" shouted the first. "You're the traitor Vastal! You're supposed to help us, you little fucker! You're going to pay for this!"

He brought out a pistol but found his head cleaved in half before he could ever get a shot off. Vastal had already reached him in a dash of speed, obliterating the Soulless's skull in a single overhead swing. The Soulless fell to the ground, a floating stream of viscous yellow drops falling in his wake.

The second Soulless shouted and pulled out a knife long enough to gut a horse, charging at Vastal before stabbing through his torso with the blade. Smirking as the knife melted through Vastal's armor and deep into his insides, the Soulless chuckled before looking up at Vastal.

Vastal was glaring down at him, not a hint of discomfort on his face. After staring at him for a bit, the Soulless began to realize something very important. He was fucked.

Vastal grinned, and gripped the Soulless around the sides of his head. Rearing back, Vastal headbutted the Soulless, knocking him back and sending him flying over a table. Grumbling, Vastal tore the knife out from his torso and marched over to the fallen Soulless, pain radiating from his wound as he pulled the blade out from his organs. Vastal approached the dazzled Soulless and sent the knife's tip plunging into the Soulless's neck, before following up with a series of lightning fast slashes with his machete across the face and head to finish the Soulless off. Narrowing his eyes at his work, Vastal clasped a hand over the wound on his chest as he moved deeper into the factory.

_Maybe it ain't much, _thought Vastal. _But every Soulless killed is a boon to Tatsumaki. I'll help out however I can, even if it kills me. Fuck it. This feels good. To finally be doing something worthwhile._

He winced as his insides turned into an inferno of pain, every step suddenly turning into a grievous mile of pain and misery. The knife had gone deeper than he had thought, yet despite the pain and punctured organs, he continued on. Why the hell not?

. . .

Three Soulless stood across Koros in the street, each one staring down at the eviscerated corpse at Koros's feet. Koros grinned at them, happy that all his adversaries had melee weapons as opposed to guns He hunched his back muscles, straining and pulling into separate slabs of straining flesh. Today was going to be a fun day.

"Well?" asked Koros. "You gonna fight or not?"

The three charged, a knife, a machete, and a flail, oddly enough. Koros dropped his pistol, gripping his staff with both hands. Today would be his day.

He smacked the first one away from him, and elbowed the second with the machete just as the spiked flail caught him in the back. The spikes of the black-and-yellow flail tore across his skin, so badly that it was enough to expose bone. Koros only grinned wider. This was what he wanted.

Koros flipped around to the flail-Soulless, who was shocked that Koros was still going. He raised his staff and brought it smashing down on the Soulless's face, crushing mouth, and nose, and eyes alike. Koros smacked down and down again, until the Soulless's expression was nothing more than torn black flesh and oozing yellow goo. A jet of blood spurted out from the Soulless's face, splashing across Koros's chest as the flail-Soulless fell to the ground.

_That's what I like to see, _thought Koros. _Come on! Come on you fuckers, you think you can beat me? You all have nothing, you all are nothing! Come on! Fucking fight!_

The other two obliged, rushing at him from the other side. Koros grunted as he felt a knife slid through his ribs, yet all he could do was grin. He didn't fucking care. This was the fight of his life. Somehow, despite the pain, he felt _alive_. And what was more, he felt _happy. _Happy to bring the pain to these bastards. Today he would die for a good cause.

Koros swiveled around and caught the machete-Soulless with a swing of his staff before the Soulless could react, knocking the Soulless onto his back. As he did so, Koros was stabbed in the back, blade pushing into his ribs. Koros shouted in pain, the knife melting through flesh and bone alike. Snarling, Koros whipped around and smashed the knife-Soulless across the face, beating him asunder with the knife still quivering in his back.

"That ain't shit!" yelled Koros as he charged towards the knife-Soulless. Grinning, Koros brought his staff smashing over the Soulless's face, again and again as the machete-Soulless struggled to get back up.

"You motherfuckers can't even beat me without a pistol!" shouted Koros. "You're all headed towards oblivion and don't even know it!"

The machete-Soulless pulled himself back up, squaring up with Koros as Koros turned back around. Koros's eyes were wide, the corneas bloodshot and sickly, and there was a twisted grin on his face, every tooth grinding against one another. Koros had been in more fights than he could count, but he felt this one was different. This one actually meant something. Perhaps it would be his last as well. Koros chuckled.

"Well?" asked Koros. "You go first, motherfucker."

The machete-Soulless shifted from side to side, as if looking for an opening. Koros raised his arms to his sides, as if getting ready to embrace the Soulless.

"What?" asked Koros. "You afraid?"

"You little bastard…" snarled the Soulless. "You don't even care…"

"Fuck you and all your little pals," said Koros. "Now come on! I don't have all damned day!"

The machete-Soulless grimaced and charged, thrusting his blade out in front of him with both hands as if it were a makeshift spear. Koros ducked out of the way, swinging his staff at the machete-Soulless even as he changed course and slashed through Koros's midsection.

Koros's staff connected with the back of the Soulless's head, sections of the Soulless's scalp crunching into fragments. His scalp resembled a mirror that had just been punched, cracks stretching out in a maze-like pattern. Meanwhile, Koros's stomach began to leak like a waterfall as the machete tore through his clothes and skin. Grunting, Koros stomped the back of the machete-Soulless's legs, tripping him to the ground. The machete-Soulless slammed onto the pavement and dropped his weapon. Koros gave the back of his head one more mighty bash, obliterating his target's skull and splashing brain matter and chunks of skin out into the street. The job was done.

"Fuckers…" breathed Koros. "Can't even fight, I expected more from Silan's oh-so-holy group. Yet here you all are, just a bunch of pathetic morons. Heh, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised."

Koros headed away from the corpses he had left, all of their eyes already beginning to dim and a sickly sweet smell rising off from each fallen Soulless. In due time they would fade, leaving nothing but trails of yellow blood behind.

Koros spotted the three massive hexagonal columns that billowed smoke into the air, the telltale sign of a Soulless factory. He grumbled as he rubbed a hand across his stomach, his torso slippery and warm. A tiny part of him wished for bandages, some kind of relief from the pain that he knew better than a family member. But he went on anyways, one more time among a countless amount. Koros heaved as he made his way towards the factory, his breathing growing heavy and his muscles sore. The years were wearing on him now, every reflection of the past another anchor onto his aching back. Koros sniffed as he wiped more blood away from his stomach, gazing up at the front of the factory which stood just across the street. Chunks of rubble and the crumbling remains of buildings were strewn all around the factory, as if it had been constructed on top of an already existing city block which then failed to support it. Koros ran across the street and burst through the doors into the main lobby, squinting over at two dead Soulless strewn across some tables.

_The hell? _he thought. _They having some infighting or something? Would definitely help us out…_

Koros made his way up some carpeted stairs up to a balcony overlooking the main area. His eyelids drooped as he walked, and he did his best not to think about the past too much. It only made him more exhausted.

Pushing his way through a door next to the elevator atop the balcony, Koros came to a hallway that snaked forwards deeper into the factory complex. He left a trail of red behind him as he walked, confusing him for a moment before he realized what form he was still in. Smirking, Koros came to the end of the hall and opened another door only to find himself in a half-hangar, half-production line room, with a row of speedbikes against the far wall and a series of conveyor belts churning along in a jumbled maze all around the room. Koros followed along an overhang of steel above the area, examining the speedbikes. There were seven left, that stretched from the end of the wall to around halfway to the other end. A small amount of space was left between the rightmost speedbike and the end of the room.

_Hmm, looks like some of em have been taken, _thought Koros.

He peered towards the end of the room to see an opening leading to the outside, bright rays of light coming from the sun above. The wind began to howl throughout the room, masking the mechanistic sounds of the churning conveyors for a few moments before dying down again. The opening was large enough to fit a car through, and seemed to lead directly out into the streets. Koros placed a hand on his chin and started rubbing at it.

_Well well well, _thought Koros. _Now that's interesting…_

A lumpy gob of pink and red was spat out from one end of a conveyor belt, rushing down the black paths and leaving a gory trail of red wherever it was pulled to. Koros squinted down at the strange chunks, wincing as he caught a whiff of the unknown substance.

_Well, looks like they didn't accomplish much here, _thought Koros. _Ugh, must've been terrible for those who had to work here._

Koros shook his head as the remains were pulled along the conveyor, before turning back and heading along the catwalk to another door at the end. He came to a spiral staircase of grey stone, following it up to the next floor. Then, he heard a voice from up above and he froze. Sticking to the wall, Koros jolted in pain when he felt the knife push further into his spine. He stopped for a second. Chuckling, Koros grabbed the knife and yanked it out of his back, dropping it to the ground below.

_Ah what the fuck, _thought Koros. _I'm getting too used to this shit, aren't I? Oh well, maybe it won't last that much longer. _

He sidled up the stairs even further, until he reached an opening that led out into a nice-looking room, complete with an embroidered carpet and a hanging chandelier. There were two voices coming from the area, yet Koros did not see the source of either. He glued himself to the edge of the opening on the stairs, giving a quick peek inside.

There were two Soulless in the room, one completely clad in armor and wearing a helmet of grey columns who stood behind a desk, the other a Soulless with a scarred face staring over at the person he was talking to while leaning against a wall.

"Dammit," said the armored Soulless. "A mess, a whole damned mess, I knew it would be. I don't think we even got the whole group for role call, pretty sure some of those bastards ignored me and stayed here!"

"Think so," said the other Soulless. "They might've taken some of the speedbikes too, some of em were missing. Dunno if they're helpin or runnin."

"Fucking great," said the armored Soulless. "Even still, it's gotten quiet out there. Think both ships have been shot down, but if the attackers were coming in numbers, you'd think they'd have dozens of ships firing at us by now…"

"Ah who knows Greidhof," said the other Soulless. "Maybe it was just the one ship. In either case it doesn't really matter, I say we book it."

Greidhof pulled a hand to his chin, and began to stride away from the desk towards the door at the end of the room. Koros slid back into his hiding spot, pulling his staff up to his chest.

"I don't know," said Greidhof. "If it's just the one ship, we should be able to take care of things…even if nothing has been going according to my damned plan anyways."

Koros spotted a pistol at Greidhof's side. He clenched his staff.

"You surprised?" asked the other Soulless, chuckling as he headed towards the door. Greidhof sneered at him, swiveling back around and walking for the desk. "You don't exactly command respect."

"Fucking nonsense," said Greidhof. "Everything is in damned chaos because of Silan, and people still see him as a better leader over me?! If things were in my hands, we would've had enough guns to blow a hundred ships out of the sky, maybe two hundred!"

Koros wrapped an arm over his mouth, a physical barrier to the laugh that threatened to explode forth from his throat.

"If _you _were in charge," said the Soulless as he approached the door. He let out a small chuckle as he reached for the handle. "Then everyone would be at each other's throats within a day, and you'd be dead within a week. You have the leadership skills of a nuclear bomb you fool, shouting and screaming ain't gonna get people to respect or follow you."

The Soulless started to open the door. Greidhof slammed his palms onto the desk.

"Where the fuck are you going?!" said Greidhof. "We're not done here yet!"

"The hell I'm not," said the Soulless. "I'll kill the bastards if I run into them, otherwise I'm heading out. I can go wherever I want now, the world's open to me."

Greidhof pulled his pistol out from his side and aimed at the Soulless's back as he started to leave the room. His hands shaking, Greidhof kept the barrel trained on the Soulless for a second. Then he lowered the gun, his mouth twitching.

"Well I'm out," said the Soulless. "Ya fucking loser."

"No, I think you're staying," said Koros as he emerged from the entryway and into the room. In a flash, he swiped at the shocked Soulless's head with his staff, and bashed the side of his face in, knocking the Soulless back towards the desk. Greidhof's shoulders tensed as Koros stepped further into the room, grinning at him with gleeful malice.

"How dare you," snarled Greidhof. "Trying to go against the top lieutenant of Silan! How many did you bring?"

"Just me," said Koros. Greidhof raised an eyeline in confusion.

Koros swung his staff over the desk and smacked Greidhof in the side, which forced Greidhof into the wall. He smashed into the wall with a loud "oof!" before sliding down into a sitting position. There was a dent in his armor the size of a hubcap, the armor having been crushed from Koros's monstrous blow, the skin underneath horrifically bruised.

Koros turned back to the other Soulless, who had gotten up and was wielding a knife. The Soulless charged into Koros and pushed him into the desk. Koros dropped his staff as the Soulless raised the knife over his head and tried to stab Koros through the throat. Raising both of his arms, Koros caught the hands of the Soulless, straining as the Soulless put all of his might into his attack.

"Greidhof!" said the Soulless. "Shoot the bastard!"

Greidhof clawed the wall behind him as he got back up, gasping with pain as he plastered a hand to his side. Shuffling towards the Soulless, Greidhof took an abrupt right and began to stride for the door.

"Greidhof!" yelled the Soulless, glancing back to Greidhof then back to Koros. "Where the fuck-"

Greidhof left through the entryway and slammed the door behind him. For a split second, the Soulless froze, shock overcoming his senses. Koros exploded upwards, knocking the Soulless back into the door. Reaching down, Koros snatched up his staff and brought it up to waist height. With a shout like a madman's war cry, Koros charged at the Soulless and plowed his staff right through the Soulless's chest, piercing through both him and the door behind him. The Soulless shouted in pain, bringing his knife up to try and swipe at Koros's face. Koros fell back, the blade hissing through the air and missing his nose by centimeters. He tore the staff out from the Soulless, who stumbled forward after him with his knife raised again. Koros ducked away from another swipe, and retaliated with a swing of his own, catching the Soulless in the side of the head with his staff. The Soulless tumbled to the ground but caught himself on his elbows and knees, his knife still in hand. He tried to get up, but found himself being pushed downward by a stomp from Koros, who slammed his foot down with the force of a god.

Koros aimed his staff for the back of the Soulless's head and jabbed it down through the Soulless's skull, one end entering through the top of the Soulless's scalp and out through the face, right between the eyes. Koros spat on the Soulless's body, the corpse twitching as Koros pulled his staff back out.

"Good fucking riddance," said Koros. "Now, let's see if I can't catch up to your little friend."

Koros tore the door asunder as he emerged back into the conveyor room, finding himself at the top of a series of steps that led back down to the speedbikes and belts. He stomped down to the bottom floor, glancing all around but seeing no sign of Greidhof. As he made his way towards the middle of the room, he heard a series of footsteps approaching from behind. Koros turned around to see a hulking Soulless enter the room through the garage-like opening at the end of the room. The Soulless had numerous dark marks all along his arms, each one stained with splotches of dull yellow.

"Well would you look at this," said Koros. He spotted an oozing wound on the Soulless's stomach, a single circular hole on the stranger's massive chest. "You look like someone who could put up a fight."

"Who the hell are you?" asked the Soulless. "Don't recognize you from the group, I don't think…"

Koros brought his staff up, swinging it back and forth like a bloodied pendulum.

"Of course I'm not, ya fuckwit," said Koros. "And what are you in here for? To run off on your speedbike just like the other guy?"

"No I was scouting," said the Soulless. "Came in through the main door, then went looking all around for Soulless to kill."

"To kill?" asked Koros. "Wait…"

"I'm not with Silan," said the Soulless. "Name's Vastal. I'm not with him anymore, I'm here to help Tatsumaki and Secter."

Koros let his staff drop to his side.

"Is that right…" said Koros, narrowing his eyes. "And you're going to prove this how?"

"First off by not attacking you," said Vastal. "Second off, I'm assuming you came in through the front too?"

"I did."

"You see those two dead ones out there?"

"I did."

"Those were from me."

Koros grinned. "Nice."

Vastal shook his head. "Had to do what I had to do."

"Helps either way," said Koros. "Honestly this whole thing is going better than I expected."

"Silan's people weren't ready," said Vastal. "The main threat is Silan himself, maybe even Maske if he's still alive…"

"Well, guess we're hunting him then," said Koros. "This place is pretty quiet, guess if you're really here to help, we can head back to the-"

Vastal charged straight at Koros, reaching him within a second and wrapping his arms around Koros's sides. Before Koros had a chance to even bring his staff up, Vastal had tossed him towards the speedbikes. As Koros flew towards the vehicles, he witnessed an all-encompassing beam of yellow light fly down from the catwalk up above and slam right through Vastal's chest and into the floor below. The floor exploded, shattering into fragments of jagged red-hot steel. For a second, Koros felt numb as he crashed into a speedbike. Then, rivers of warmth began to run down from his legs, his chest, even his head. There was a giant crater created by the impact, with a darkened floor thirty feet down below. Koros blinked at the newfound area, before tumbling down into the darkness, pain overtaking him as a speedbike fell along with him. He vanished from sight.

Vastal was knocked away from the crater, finding himself landing over by the door that he had entered from. He too felt numb, his arms twitching as he stared up at the sunlight. Gasping, he looked away from the sun back towards the catwalk, only to see _him _up there. Grinning as he always was, holding a staff in one hand and an energy launcher in the other. Silan laughed.

Vastal lurched towards him, but became aware that nearly half of his body was now missing as he tried to crawl along the floor. He blinked, not sure as to why he couldn't feel anything quite yet. Groaning, Vastal watched as his organs sloshed out onto the floor along with buckets and buckets of blood. He reached out, his vision going cloudy as he struggled to scoop his blood back into his body with a sweep of his arm. The yellow just streamed out from between his fingers, his arms useless against the torrent of blood. Vastal let out a tiny groan, tears flowing from his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried.

"Be…be safe Viskel," said Vastal. "Be…be safe…"

He swallowed as the world began to go black, for the last time. Though he was afraid, he at least felt safe in the knowledge that finally, after all this time, he had done something right.


	12. Chapter 12

As Sycamore leapt over the fence leading to the camp, he thumbed a switch on his rifle to activate the energy bayonet. It screamed to life beneath the barrel, a single glowing blade with a pointed edge. Sycamore landed right between two huts, the main building looming up ahead. His heart was pounding, his mind racing as he crept forward. He was so close, so damned close…

Up ahead, he spotted her. Fubuki was being held upright by a vile looking Soulless in a flesh-colored mask, who was chuckling at her as he swiped his machete across her stomach. Not far from her were the rest of the heroes, most of them laying on the ground as another Soulless approached them with a giant bladed spear. He kicked Saitama in the stomach, knocking him back towards his friends who had likely suffered the same fate. Sycamore felt his blood run red hot through his veins, his arms shaking as he took aim at the Soulless who was grabbing Fubuki. He aimed high, wincing as the thought of a single stray round passing through Fubuki entered his mind. Sycamore shook his head, not allowing it to overtake him. He took in a deep breath and fired.

His aim was true, the rounds tearing through the Soulless's shoulders and the side of his neck. Shrieking, the Soulless dropped Fubuki like a stone onto a bed of broken glass and slippery liquid before running over to the side of the tube to hide. Sycamore turned his attention to the other Soulless who had already pulled away from the heroes to charge at him. He pulled the trigger just as the Soulless flung his spear at him.

The rounds passed through the Soulless's torso and throat, putting him down. They shot out towards the huts behind him, one of them scalding the top of King's head as it flew just a bit too close. Even still, that was one down.

The spear flew so fast that the air around it rippled and tore apart in its presence. Sycamore dodged to the left towards the courtyard, but the spear caught him in the arm, stabbing straight through his rifle and his forearm alike. His skin being sliced open, Sycamore yelped and pulled himself to the ground, the spear finally ending its journey by embedding itself in the hut behind him. Panting, Sycamore looked over at his rifle to see that the top half of it had been shorn clean off by the spear's entry. His forearm had received similar treatment, a series of crevices torn through his skin at the top. Blood leaked from each entry room, and Sycamore shook his forearm off, sending blood splattering everywhere in front of him. Turning back to the tube, he spotted the mask-Soulless heading out from behind his cover and advancing towards him. Sycamore raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

Nothing. The gun sputtered and a few sparks shot out from the barrel, but there was no response. Even the bayonet had vanished.

"Sycamore?" asked Saitama as he sat back up. "Sycamore, look out for Maske!"

"I can see that!" said Sycamore as he dropped his gun to the ground. He searched around for the spear, finding the end of it sticking out from the hut next to him. Desperate, Sycamore snatched the spear and tugged at it, heaving as he tried to pull it from the metal. Ahead, Maske drew closer.

Sycamore tugged again. The spear nudged a little but refused to leave its new home.

Maske drew closer, machete in hand. Drops of red swam down the edge of the blade before dripping onto the ground below.

Sycamore yanked at the spear, finding it budge a little as the spear finally started to come loose. He saw the blood on the machete, and it enraged him. No one was going to hurt Fubuki anymore.

Maske was close now, his footsteps like little explosions going off in Sycamore's head.

Sycamore gave the spear a final tag, his mouth opening into a gleeful expression when the spear finally came loose. What also came loose were the blades on the end, falling out from the point of the spear and clattering to the inside of the hut. In essence, Sycamore was holding a massive pole, entirely too long for how close Maske was.

His heart slamming against his chest, Sycamore tackled the side of the hut and reached inside, grabbing the closest blade and pulling it up out of the hole in the building. He turned around just in time to have Maske slice him across the face with his machete. Sycamore stumbled back, as Maske laughed at him.

"You're a fool," hissed Maske. "A damned fool. Look at you, already falling apart."

"I've got way more to fight for than you, you fucking shitstain," said Sycamore. "And what did you do to Fubuki?!"

"Not nearly enough," said Maske. "Was just about to start the process until you showed up. And you know what? I think I'll just hurt you enough to the point where you can still watch me."

Sycamore gnashed his teeth together, but refrained from charging. He stood his ground as Maske kicked the pole out of the way back towards the group. Maske stunk like a pile of corpses, a stench Sycamore hated to admit he was familiar with. There was something odd in the way he moved too – always twitching from side to side, as if constantly readying himself to move or dodge. This would be a tricky one.

Sycamore's tightened his grip over his makeshift knife. Maske drew closer. Sighing, Maske swept forward like a phantom, his cloak flowing behind him as he rushed at Sycamore. Upon close inspection, Sycamore could see several items hanging from the inside of Maske's garment, a cavalcade of expressions ranging from the widest of smiles to the longest of frowns. Sycamore's breath caught in his throat but he raised his blade up to catch Maske's machete, the two weapons bashing into each other and sending sparks flying in all directions. Maske reared back and stabbed at Sycamore, this time catching him through the shoulder. Maske's blade tore a hole through Sycamore and went out to the other side just as Sycamore jabbed his own weapon into Maske's ribs, striking fast and hard. Maske grunted but started to twist the machete, finding the task daunting due to his weapon's shape. Sycamore on the other hand pulled his weapon out from Maske and tore it into his intestines, Maske screaming as he stumbled away from Sycamore. He brought his machete out from Sycamore's shoulder just as Sycamore tore his weapon free as well.

_Irritating bastard! _thought Maske, blood rushing to his heart and fueling its vicious pumping. _His weapon is superior for stabbing, I need to slice his throat and make him fall. Then I can cut him however I like, saw open every artery he has._

Maske flipped the cloak off his shoulders and stood at full height, several feet taller than Sycamore. He looked down at Sycamore, whose eye twitched as he spotted the various grimy visages of Maske spill onto the ground.

"You're going to pay," said Maske. "That hurt quite a bit, and now you're going to pay."

"Try it," said Sycamore, his eyes gleaming. "Make my fucking day."

Maske grinned. He kind of liked this guy. But it would be even better to see him bleeding out in the dirt, his face smashed in and his throat a swimming pool of blood.

Maske charged again just as Sycamore went in for a stab. Sycamore's blade passed harmlessly over Maske's back as Maske swiped his machete across Sycamore's chest. Again and again Maske swiped, pushing Sycamore further and further until Sycamore slammed against the wall. Stunned, and with his back to steel, Sycamore tried to jab at Maske again, but Maske slid out of the way, the blade only skimming through his skin along the side of his chest. Chuckling, Maske gazed upon the web of bloody slashes he had created along Sycamore's chest, and reared back before punching Sycamore across the mouth. Sycamore slid along the wall at the impact, staggering to get back upright as Maske advanced upon him again. Spitting out a gob of blood and a tiny, solid piece of something, Sycamore turned back over just in time to have Maske stab him in the upper chest with his machete. Again the blade blew through his body and out through the other side. Sycamore screamed in pain, grabbing the handle of the machete and clamping Maske's grip down on it so Maske couldn't pull it out. Maske chuckled.

A pole came flying at Maske from behind, striking him in the back of the head. Maske turned for a split second at the minor annoyance, seeing Saitama standing not far off with the most serious expression Maske had ever seen. He grinned over at Saitama before turning back to Sycamore, just in time to see Sycamore thrust his blade into the center of his chest.

Maske stumbled back, but Sycamore followed, rapidly twisting his blade and pulling it back out to stab Maske again. Maske lost hold of his machete, grabbing onto Sycamore's shoulder while his other arm hung free. Again and again Sycamore stabbed, blood spraying onto his chest, shoulders, and neck as he tore into Maske like an animal about to feast on its prey. Sycamore's eyes were wild, his hatred condensed into a pure malevolent glare like two bullets of utter loathing. Ripping his blade out from Maske again, Sycamore was treated to another punch to the face from Maske's free arm, but this one wasn't even enough to make Sycamore's head turn. Sycamore yelled as he thrust his blade into Maske's chest, blasting right through Maske's heart and ripping a hole in the organ. Maske went stiff, reaching out for Sycamore as if he had suddenly gone blind. He blubbered as blood filled his mouth to the brim, and in his final act, he gripped the machete embedded in Sycamore's chest and twisted it just a little. With a swift kick to Maske's stomach, Sycamore smirked as Maske finally went down.

"That's…enough for now…" said Sycamore. He stepped over Maske's body, wincing as he felt the machete shift around in his chest. Looking over at Saitama and the rest of the heroes, he started to speak, blood streaming out of his mouth as he did so.

"You guys alright?" asked Sycamore, panting. "Long time…long time no see."

"You came back," said Saitama. "Holy shit you made it back."

"I'm here," said Sycamore. "We're…we're going to fix this."

Bang and King were busy helping Garou back up, while Metal Bat looked Sycamore up and down.

"Hey, not too bad," said Metal Bat. "You'd make a good hero Sycamore."

"He already is one in my books," said Saitama. Genos gave a tiny nod, strapped to Saitama's back like a knapsack.

"You guys…stay there," said Sycamore. "I have to check on Fubuki. Have to…" He swallowed, the taste of copper fresh in his mouth. "Check on Fubuki."

He ran over to the where Fubuki lay, gasping with joy as he saw her shuffling up to her elbows. She was bleeding from a gash across her face and from another through her stomach, and her arms shook as she moved, but otherwise she was alright. She was alive. Turning, her eyes widened when she saw Sycamore approach her, his heart pounding in his chest to finally see her again.

"Fubuki!" said Sycamore, raising his arms to his sides. He twisted his face in pain as he felt the blade of the machete move along with him.

"Sy…Sycamore?" asked Fubuki, blinking up at him. She was in too much shock to handle what was going on, Sycamore felt like a dream as opposed to reality.

Sycamore swept down and wrapped his arms around Fubuki, holding her close. Fubuki froze for a second, her body quivering as she felt the warmth of Sycamore's body against hers. She started to cry, hugging him back as she buried her head into his neck.

"Sycamore," she breathed. "You're back."

"I am," he said. "And you're ok, thank God you're ok."

"Sycamore…" said Fubuki. "Sycamore…"

They held each other for a while, swaying back and forth as Sycamore started to lift Fubuki up and pull her away from her bed of glass.

"Where…where's everyone else?" asked Fubuki. "Sis, and Secter?"

"They…got separated," said Sycamore, glancing over at the group as they drew closer. "I need to go back and check on them."

"Make sure they're ok," said Fubuki. "But just wait one moment…"

She pulled Sycamore in tighter until she felt the handle of the machete against her chest. Confused, Fubuki looked down at the weapon.

"Sycamore, we need to get you some help!" said Fubuki. "There's a machete in your chest!"

"I know," said Sycamore. "But we don't have much time, and I don't even know where to look…"

"Main building," said Saitama. "Probably some there. Infirmary's barren for some reason."

Sycamore started to pull himself away from Fubuki, but Fubuki wouldn't allow it. Sycamore smiled wide, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"You really do care…" said Sycamore. "About me…"

Fubuki looked up at him, her eyes shining.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked. "You're my friend Sycamore, you've already risked your life multiple times to save us. You're a good person, and you've got so much kindness in you…"

"Ah…" said Sycamore. "Fubuki, now…now is not the time to make me choke up…"

Fubuki let out a little chuckle, turning Sycamore's chest warm. He winced as the cuts across his chest continued to sting.

"We should at least get that machete out of you," said Fubuki. "Right?"

"It'll bleed more if we remove it," said Bang. "Perhaps we should wa-"

Sycamore yanked the machete from his body, tossing it back towards the huts. Bang stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Would be nice to have a day where I don't get shot or stabbed," said Sycamore. "But so long as Silan's still around, I guess I'll just have to keep hoping."

"Is it almost over?" asked Fubuki.

"I…don't know," said Sycamore. "I don't know. I really hope so, I'll do everything I can to keep you guys safe."

"We support you man," said Metal Bat. "You guys got this."

"Thanks," said Sycamore. "Ugh, after this is all said and done, I'm going to need a long, long nap. And maybe a nice massage too."

"Let's go find my sis," said Fubuki. "And Secter. I…I'm so glad you're all ok, I thought you two were dead Sycamore, I thought you were dead…"

"We were hurting," said Sycamore. "But we're alive. And we're still kicking."

He leaned his head over Fubuki's shoulder as she rubbed his back.

"But you're right," said Sycamore. "You're right, we need to go. And by we, I mean me. What _you _need to do is help lead the group to someplace safer, away from here. As far as you can get, trust me."

"Saitama?" asked Fubuki as she looked over at him. "Think you can-"

"No prob," said Saitama. "Genos and I got this."

"Saitama," said Genos. "I have done nothing this whole time. Done nothing but sit."

"To be fair, you had your limbs blown off since day one," said Saitama. "And had no one around to fix you."

"But…" said Genos.

"No buts man," said Saitama. "All I need is your support. You with me?"

Genos cracked the tiniest of smiles on his face.

"Of course," said Genos. "All heroes, on us!"

King, Metal Bat, and Bang all crowded around Saitama, with only Garou looking on in suspicion.

"I'd rather fight," said Garou. "But I guess that's not an option, isn't it?"

"You're just now learning that?" asked Saitama.

"Yeah yeah," said Garou. "Ugh, I hate these Soulless. They stand for nothing, all they represent is blind hatred and stupidity!"

"Sycamore doesn't," said Fubuki. "He's greater than them."

"You know what I mean," said Garou.

Bang walked over and laid a hand on Garou's shoulder.

"Listen," said Bang. "I understand you wanting to fight, but now, now is the time to flee. There will be times in life when you need to learn such things-"

"Oh, save it for the dojo when we get out of this mess," said Garou, rolling his eyes.

Bang flashed a grin at Garou and motioned for everyone to start heading towards the wall. Sycamore began to separate from Fubuki, looking her up and down as he backed up.

"You look like you need some healing yourself," said Sycamore, his eyes widening in horror at her thinning frame and her bleeding wounds.

"I'll be alright for now," said Fubuki. "Now, which way to my sis and Secter?"

Sycamore shook his head.

"You won't let me leave you with the rest, will you?" asked Sycamore.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," said Fubuki, smiling.

Sycamore smiled back at her. It felt so good to see her again, to see her happy.

Fubuki felt the same way. The fire in his eyes to protect her and her friends, that same nervous but sweet personality, she missed it so much. Once everything was said and done, and Silan was in the ground, she planned to spend more time with Sycamore.

"Yeah, I do," said Sycamore. "I guess in that case…get onto my back, I'll take you to where I last saw them. And hold tight, we'll need to move quick."

Fubuki nodded and watched as Sycamore turned around. She clambered onto his back, wrapping both arms over his shoulders. Glancing back at the rest of the group, Fubuki waved them farewell.

"Good luck everyone," said Fubuki. "Stay safe."

"You too," said Saitama. "Man…I hate to leave you like this Fubuki."

"I know, it goes against what we've fought for in the past," said Fubuki. "But for now, the most heroic thing to do would be to get everyone to safety. I'll see you all soon."

Saitama gave a little nod, and started to follow the rest of his group. Sycamore began to move in the opposite direction, both him and Fubuki staring off with determination as to what lay ahead.

. . .

Secter leapt towards the guardrail, keeping his pistol outstretched in front of him and firing all the way. The speedbiker down below returned fire with his rifle, the air being filled with blasts of energy as each person pulled the trigger so many times that their fingers grew sore. Secter collapsed at the end of the guardrail as the bursts started flying, one of them ripping through his side and out through his body. He winced, before hearing Tatsumaki behind him scream in pain. His heart froze.

Peering out from behind the guardrail, Secter saw that the speedbiker had fallen off of his vessel, bloody gaps all over his face and shoulders. The speedbiker twitched before closing his eyes.

Relieved that the biker was dead, Secter reached around his back and pulled Tatsumaki off of him, his grip light as he helped her sit up and face him. Secter's eyes scanned Tatsumaki for her wound, and he spotted a fresh splotch of blood along the edge of Tatsumaki's body, growing in size even as Tatsumaki pressed her hands against it.

"Ahhh…" she groaned.

"It's alright," said Secter, clasping his hands around hers as she pushed at her wound. "It's ok. Just let me see for a second."

Tatsumaki slowly took her hands away from her wound, with Secter holding them as she dropped them into her lap. He peered down at the hole in Tatsumaki's side, black with blood as it pumped more and more into her dress. Tatsumaki clenched her teeth, pain rippling along her torso as she shifted from side to side. She looked down at Secter to spot a similar injury on the exact same part of his body as hers.

"Shit," said Secter. "Hopefully we'll be able to find something for that soon. It doesn't look like he hit any major organs at least though. But even still, I'm going to check the speedbikers, maybe they'll have something on them…"

"Secter, you got hit too," said Tatsumaki, pointing down at Secter's wound.

Secter glanced down at it before looking back up to Tatsumaki, giving her a weak smile.

"Yeah but it's fine," said Secter. "I've taken much worse."

"Secter…" said Tatsumaki.

"I'll be ok," said Secter. "Really."

He turned and leapt back over the guardrail, running over to the bodies of the two speedbikers. Nudging the one he had just shot with his foot, Secter gave a little nod when the speedbiker felt like a sack of bricks against his toes. Examining the body of the speedbike next to the corpse, Secter gave a tiny gasp when he spotted a single glowing bandage sitting by the side of the vehicle. Secter almost scraped his hands against the steel of the vehicle as he snatched the bandage up. Running to the other speedbike, Secter went digging around the wreckage but found nothing. Finally he made his way to the other corpse, also finding no medical supplies but dropping his pistol in favor of a rifle. He plastered the knife-club to his leg, a shimmering aura surrounding the weapon as it clung to him.

Secter vaulted back over the guardrail and rushed back over to Tatsumaki, who was slumped against the wall as she held her wound. Her fingers were bloodied scarlet, tiny rivers of red running through each individual digit. Secter knelt down in front of her and unwrapped the bandage, watching as Tatsumaki let go of her injury to allow him to wrap it.

"Here we go," said Secter. "We got lucky this time, they actually had something."

Secter wrapped the bandage around Tatsumaki's waist, Tatsumaki breathing a sigh of relief as the gauze began to glow and do its work.

"Feels better," said Tatsumaki. "These things work fast."

"Yeah but it'll still take time," said Secter. "Speaking of which, we should go. If Sycamore made it to the camp, he might still need my help."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki, still worried about Secter's battered body. "Yeah. We need to go. My sis needs us, now."

Secter crouched while turning around, letting Tatsumaki climb back onto his back. She clung to him as Secter got up and started running towards the barrier of rubble that separated the tunnel in half. He ducked under a steaming gap in the metal and stone, being careful not to allow the jagged edges of the rocks above slide against Tatsumaki's back. Crawling out to the other side, Secter crossed the road to the opposite edge of the tunnel and followed the walkway down to the end, squinting at the sunlight pouring through at the finale of the tunnel.

"Almost there Tatsu," said Secter. "Almost there."

"Stay strong Secter," said Tatsumaki, her breath hot as it billowed against Secter's neck. "I know you can do this, I know you can."

"Almost there…" he said.

He reached the end, and pressed himself against the wall of the tunnel as he peered out of the exit. Something poked into his back as he did so, the bony knuckles of Tatsumaki forming a clump against Secter's spine as she clutched at the wettened part of her bandage. Secter glanced around as he sidled right up to the edge of the wall before stopping in place. To his left, only half a street down were two more Soulless on speedbikes. One of them was holding an elimination rifle with a sleek, skull-like helmet over his head, while the other grasped an elimination light machine gun, over half the length of Tatsumaki's body. Next to the machinegun-wielder was a string of grey ovular objects, each one scarred with glowing lights. The two Soulless chatted to each other, occasionally casting a look down the street. Secter pulled back into the tunnel.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," murmured Secter.

"What?" whispered Tatsumaki. "What do you see?"

"Two more," said Secter. "Both got bikes. One's got a big machinegun, and grenades. Just fucking wonderful."

"Oh, give me a fucking break," said Tatsumaki. "You see Sycamore out there anywhere?"

"Nope," said Secter. "Hope he made it."

"Me too," said Tatsumaki. "Well, what's the plan?"

"They're kinda far off," said Secter, his heart crawling up his throat as he spoke. "Got way more firepower than I do for sure, and there's only one way forward…"

"Maybe if you surprised them…" said Tatsumaki. "Those other two were awful shots…"

"Yeah, but I can't count on that every time," said Secter. "Not much for me to hide behind out there, there's some buildings over by the bikes, but I'd have to run out in the open to get there…fuck, just give me a break already…"

"I wish I could help," said Tatsumaki. "I really, really wish I could…"

"It's ok Tatsu. You supporting me, and believing in me…I've got way more to fight for than those assholes do."

Secter darted towards the exit again, glancing around the area in a flash to spot an intersection with several buildings at the far corner before sliding back into his hiding place.

"Alright," he said. "I think…I think if I can keep an eye on those two bastards at the end of the road, and assuming they don't move closer or go someplace else, I might be able to cross the intersection up ahead and hide behind the buildings before they notice. I'll have to be damned quick though, and if they spot me…we'll be in big trouble."

Tatsumaki clutched onto Secter's shoulders, lifting her arms away from her waist.

"Good luck," she said. "But we're running out of time…"

"I know," said Secter. "Pray that Sycamore got back and was able to find everyone."

Secter took a deep breath, the wind clearing the gunk in his throat. He stepped forward.

"Alright," he said. "On three."

Shouting erupted from outside of the tunnel, followed by what sounded like someone trying to breath while submerged in water. Secter twitched, for a second wondering just what the hell had transpired outside. He waited, listening as more shouting ensued. A series of gunshots went off, and then silence. Nothing more came from outside of the tunnel for a moment, and then, an explosion. Yellow light streaked forth in front of the end of the tunnel, replacing the sun's rays with blinding sheets of neon. Secter stumbled back, raising both arms to his face. The light was there only for the briefest of seconds before vanishing, and then the silence returned.

"What the hell…" said Tatsumaki. "Was that one of the grenades?"

"I…" said Secter. He was just as baffled as she was. "I think so?"

He peered out from the tunnel. Where the speedbikers once stood was now a smoldering crater, blackened hunks of road strewn all around the disaster area. One speedbike sat at the edge of the crater, half of it jutting out into the street with the other half missing from sight. A bloodied lump of a Soulless lay next to a building, a significant part of his head spilled out onto the pavement. Secter drew his gun and ran towards the wreckage, keeping an eye on the downed Soulless as he reached the crater. Looking inside, he spotted the other speedbiker laying within the center, lacerations all over his body and blood flowing from his mouth. He gasped up at Secter as the two of them made eye contact, slowly drawing a hand towards his side. Secter ripped his gun up to shoulder height and fired, the beams blasting through the Soulless's face and sending blood spurting up to the heavens. The Soulless's arms drooped.

"Whatever that was…" said Secter. "It took care of those two."

"Viskel!" said Tatsumaki, pointing over Secter's shoulder.

Secter looked back at her quizzically before following her gesture to see a third Soulless slumped against a crumpled streetlight, the pole bent over backwards as if someone had smacked it down. Viskel shivered as a hole in his chest wide enough to fit a bowling ball through dumped blood onto his legs. One of his arms was dangling by a few threads of blood-soaked flesh, while various cuts and gashes all over his torso and face made Viskel look as if he were continually being doused in yellow paint. Secter raised his gun again.

"Wait!" said Tatsumaki. "He's friendly!"

"You know him?" asked Secter.

"He was one of the people to help me get out," said Tatsumaki. "Viskel, did you make that grenade go off?"

Viskel gave a tiny nod, his lips trembling. His eyes shimmered in the sun.

"I…" said Viskel. "I talked to Vastal…and he made me wanna help, so I tried to go back to the camp but those two were looking for me I think. Caught em…caught em off guard though, grabbed a nade and pulled the pin before tossing the whole cluster, then everything went boom…"

Viskel shuffled up further against the pole, before groaning and slinking back down again.

"Ohhhh…" said Viskel. "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry…"

Tatsumaki leapt down from Secter's back and rushed over to Viskel, placing a hand on his shoulder as he started to cry.

"It's alright Viskel," said Tatsumaki. "You did good, trust me, you did good."

"I did?" asked Viskel, sniffling. "No, no, Vastal was disappointed, he was right, I was too late…"

"Where did Vastal go?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Factory I think," said Viskel. "Ohhh, I'm not going to see him again, am I?"

"We'll get you some help," said Tatsumaki, looking Viskel over. "This…this looks rough, but I've seen you guys, you can survive a lot of bad stuff…"

"Vastal was always grumbling about how tired he was getting of it," said Viskel. "Back up there…and he was right, he was right, I didn't believe him but he was right. I'm tired of hurting, and I feel myself slipping away, I heard that healing factors got weaker if you kept getting hurt, but I don't know, I don't know…"

Tatsumaki looked back up at Secter in mild panic.

"I'm…not sure," said Secter. "I just think it's difficult, trust me I know, to keep picking yourself up like that. You get used to the violence after a while, and then…you start thinking terrible things, like maybe death wouldn't be so bad…" He rubbed at his arm, soreness overtaking his bones. "But Tatsu's right, we'll get you out of this, if you stick with us we can figure all this shit out and get you to a better life."

"If you have no meds…" said Viskel. "Then I'm done…I just hope Vastal is ok with me in the end, I hope he's ok…"

Tatsumaki grabbed at the bandage on her waist, the gauze glowing faintly as she clawed at it.

"Here," she said. "Not really…sanitary, but you can take mine."

"It's not even glowing," said Viskel. "It's not enough, it'll be too weak by now, I'll need a lot more…"

"We'll find some," said Tatsumaki. "Check the bikers, maybe they have some?"

Secter swallowed, a poisonous feeling in his gut. He had an idea that this wouldn't be the first time something important to him had been destroyed by an explosion. Turning to his side, he investigated the crater but found little more than bits and pieces of Soulless flesh and burnt metal. Checking the other Soulless yielded the same results, with the exception of a single tattered hunk of gauze sitting by the corpse, darkened and torn. Secter grimaced and returned back to Tatsumaki, who was still hunched over a shuddering Viskel.

"Nothing," said Secter. "And as much as I hate to say it, we do need to move. Sycamore's going to need our help, and so does your sis."

"You're right," said Tatsumaki, rising up from Viskel. Her heart began to pound as visions of Fubuki screaming in an elongated container of liquid flashed into her head. "You're right, we need to go, we need to go."

"Good luck…" said Viskel, a tiny smile on his face as he waved at them. "But…but one more thing…"

"What is it?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Please don't just leave me here," said Viskel. "I…don't want to just sit here, I can feel myself slipping away, and I don't want the others to find me if they're still looking…especially not Maske, or Silan, they'll be so angry, so mean to me…"

Tears flowed down Viskel's cheeks. Tatsumaki's heart ached for him, but the afterimages of Fubuki shouting with no one to hear her still haunted her mind. They needed to move.

"I don't want to…" said Tatsumaki. "But we don't have time-"

"No, don't bring me," said Viskel. "Just shoot me, you, friend of Tatsumaki."

Secter sighed, his shoulders drooping. Tatsumaki shot him a saddened glance.

"You sure about this Viskel?" asked Secter.

"I can feel it," said Viskel. "And I mean look at me, I'll die very soon. Oh, how I didn't think it would end like this, who would've thought it would've ended like this…"

"But Vastal-" said Tatsumaki.

"He'll understand," said Viskel. "I know he will, he's done and seen stuff like this before. Please, it hurts too much, the blasts went all the way through, I'm not gonna make it now…"

Secter stepped forward, taking a deep and pained breath. He shuddered as he gripped his gun.

"If you're absolutely sure," said Secter. "Then I'll do it. But you have to be sure, I don't want there to be a speck of doubt in your mind about this."

"I am," said Viskel. "And come on, everyone's had to do something like this at least once right? That's how the Soulless do…"

Secter's stomach churned, swirling and twisting within his insides.

"And tell Vastal," said Viskel. "That I hope he turns out ok. And that I hope he's proud of me, he was always like a big brother to me, and that's rare to find out there and I didn't even appreciate it enough. Tell him that I did my best, and while maybe that wasn't all that much…maybe I died doing something he appreciated. I kinda think it's not so bad too."

"We're all proud of you," said Tatsumaki. "What you just did was very heroic."

"Without a doubt," said Secter. "And I hope you feel proud of yourself too, you just proved yourself far greater than Silan or any of his bastards, or hell, most Soulless still around today."

Viskel grinned, blood flowing out between his teeth.

"I like this group," said Viskel. "Too bad I realized it too late, but you and Tatsumaki and Vastal and maybe your other friends…too bad I didn't end up with you all, things could've been a lot different."

Secter felt like he was being crushed under the weight of a sinking ship, weighing down on his back as it slowly sank to its inevitable death. He felt like collapsing, something that was becoming all too familiar for him.

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "I wish things could've been different."

"Me too," said Secter. "But even still, you made a change yourself, and you probably saved both me and Tatsu just now."

"Good…" said Viskel, grinning from one side of his head to the other. "Good…but, I think… I think I'm ready to go now."

Secter frowned as he spotted Viskel's eyes beginning to dim. It was time.

He raised his rifle at Viskel's head, Tatsumaki stepping to his side.

"I'm sorry about this," said Secter. "I really am."

"Don't be," said Viskel. "I got to experience something rare for Soulless today. I feel truly happy, even if it's just for a bit... Tell…tell Vastal that too, that I was happy to help."

"I will," said Secter. "We won't forget you, I promise."

Viskel nodded and closed his eyes, his arms drooping.

"Ok…" he said. "Please, do it. I feel myself going, but it's still gonna take a bit too much time…"

Secter sighed. As he steadied his aim at Viskel his entire body began to shake, weariness and exhaustion and pain washing over him for what felt like the millionth time. The world was a sea of black torrents, blocking his vision and threatening to drown him. For a moment, Secter felt alone, struggling against the water while it pushed it further and further down. Then he felt someone grip his arm and his vision cleared. He looked down to see Tatsumaki staring up at him, her face embroiled with pain.

"Secter…" she said. "I hate that you have to do this, but it might be for the best…"

"I…I know," said Secter. He glanced back over to Viskel. Convulsing and sputtering, Viskel looked as if he were trying to puke up the last remnants of his life.

"Hurry…" said Viskel.

Secter pointed his rifle and fired once. The bolt of energy flew clean through Viskel's head, blood splattering out from its exit. Viskel slumped to the ground.

"Alright," said Secter. He was tired, grim, and saddened, but he hadn't given up. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Tatsumaki gave him a tiny nod and climbed up on his back.

. . .

"Secter," said Tatsumaki as she rubbed her hands up and down his chest. "Are you ok?"

Secter could see the walls of the camp now, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of it.

"I mean," he said. "Not really."

Tatsumaki leaned her head against the back of his neck.

"I wish we had more time," she said. "There's so much…"

"I know," said Secter. "I never wanted any of this to happen, ever. Not me and Sycamore being dragged back, not another damned Soulless showing up, not anything that happened to you and everyone else here…fuck, it's all so terrible, so exhausting, but I have to keep going…"

"We're almost there," said Tatsumaki. "If we can beat Silan and the rest of his group, it'll be over, I promise…"

"I really hope so," said Secter. "I'll do all I fucking can, and I fucking pray that something like this never happens again."

"When this is over," said Tatsumaki. "When this is finally fucking over, I can't wait to just go back home with you."

Secter smiled.

"And relax," she continued. "Just talk, hold each other, maybe go out, maybe even the beach, that sounds really nice, just laying with you there and listening to the waves…"

"Oh God I missed all this," said Secter. "I don't think I was even gone that long, but it feels like it's been forever…"

"It really does," said Tatsumaki. "But what do you say Secter? Sounds good?"

"Of course it does," said Secter. "It sounds amazing. I love you Tatsu, I want nothing more than for you to be safe and happy again."

"You too," said Tatsumaki, smiling into Secter's neck. "I love you too."

Secter rounded a corner and started up a street that led up to the wall. He froze when he nearly collided into another Soulless, this one with a person clinging onto his back. For a moment, Secter and Sycamore stared at one another with shock, before both of them dropped their shoulders.

"Oh thank God," said Secter. "You're alright! And…is that you Fubuki?"

Fubuki let go of Sycamore and stepped out from behind him, smiling at Secter as she approached.

Tatsumaki leapt off of Secter, scrambling around him and jumping into Fubuki. Fubuki stumbled back from Tatsumaki's cuddly assault, eventually laughing and hugging her back. They held each other, Tatsumaki crying into Fubuki's chest.

"I saw you in there…" said Tatsumaki. "Oh God, I fucking hated it, I would've done anything to get you out…"

"Silan is a monster," said Fubuki. "And the tube…it was about the lab, wasn't it?"

"I always worried I'd see you in one of those," said Tatsumaki. "He did it just to torture me, to torture _us_. I'm still…I'm still thinking about it…"

"It's ok sis," said Fubuki. "I'm out of there now, Sycamore took care of the guards too. Everyone's safe for the time being."

Tatsumaki rested her chin on Fubuki's shoulder to give Sycamore a teary glance. She smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said weakly. "Thank you, Sycamore. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Sycamore smiled back and scuffed the ground with his foot.

"No problem," said Sycamore. "There was no way I was going to let Fubuki be hurt like that, nor anyone else."

Secter walked over to Sycamore and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into his side.

"You did good Sycamore," said Secter. "Though it looks like we're going to need to find some medical supplies if we can, both for you and Fubuki."

"And you too," said Sycamore, glancing down at Secter's side. "Don't know where we'd find some, maybe at the factory?"

"Silan mentioned a while ago that he has some kind of infirmary outside of the camp," said Tatsumaki. "I don't know where, but I guarantee he has stuff there. Maybe at the factory too."

Sycamore peered up at Secter.

"Is that the plan now?" asked Sycamore. "To the factory?"

"I think that's where Koros headed off to," said Secter. "And that Vastal guy too…"

"Vastal's still alive?" asked Fubuki.

"Supposedly," said Secter. "We met a friend of his, he died helping us out against Silan's gang."

"Shit…" said Fubuki. "At least…at least he died doing something good."

"Yeah, he finally seemed proud of himself," said Tatsumaki. "Happy, even though he wished things were different."

"I do too," said Fubuki. "But is that what we're doing, heading back to the factory?"

"Are Saitama and everyone else safe?" asked Secter.

"I hope so," said Sycamore. "He led everyone else away when I was fighting that masked Soulless."

"Please tell me you killed him," said Tatsumaki.

"Oh he's dead alright," said Sycamore. "Did a number on me, but he's dead. Ugh, can't wait to finally finish off all these bastards, have things go back to normal. None of us deserve all this shit."

"Exactly," said Secter. "And yeah…factory it is I guess. Though Tatsu, and Fubuki, you two might want to meet up with Saitama and-"

He stopped short when he saw the look Tatsumaki was giving him. He dropped his arm from Sycamore's back and sighed.

"I know," said Secter. "I know. But Sycamore and I will be walking straight into danger, and-"

"Sis and I would be in just as much danger with you two gone," said Tatsumaki. "And you already know Secter, I'm not leaving you. Ever."

"Alright," said Secter. "I figured that would be a losing battle anyways, but even still."

"She has a point," said Sycamore. "I, uh, I would feel at least slightly safer knowing where Fubuki and Tatsumaki were as opposed to sending them off on their own."

"Yeah, but who knows what the hell's at the factory," said Secter. "You didn't see Silan at the camp, did you?"

"No…" said Sycamore. "No, I did not. Was just the two guards."

"Then he might be there," said Secter. "We need to be careful, with how strong Silan is, we won't be able to win in a direct confrontation."

"We'd have to get the jump on him or something, yeah," said Sycamore. "Though if Koros is still alive, and this Vastal guy can help us, we would stand a much better chance."

"And if Viskel had lived…" said Secter. "We could've nullified Silan entirely. That's what worries me the most, Silan is going to be able to use his powers."

"Fuck," said Fubuki, covering her mouth with one hand while keeping the other on the small of Tatsumaki's back. "That's right…"

"Think the planet sword," said Sycamore. "Or knowing that twisted bastard, something, far, far worse."

"That's why we need to move again," said Secter. "If we find things to loot, take them. Then we hunt Silan down as fast we can, kill any people in his gang still roaming around for us."

"Well," said Sycamore, raising his blade. "I'm ready, even if my body feels like it's fucking draining my life out right now."

Secter gave a sad little chuckle.

"Yeah, me too," said Secter. "And let's find you a gun Sycamore, there's at least a pistol and a rifle in the tunnel."

"Sounds good," said Sycamore. "Fubuki, Tatsumaki, are you guys coming with?"

Tatsumaki let go of Fubuki and stepped away from her. She nodded at her sister.

"I am," said Tatsumaki. "Let's do this. Finish this."

Fubuki smiled back at Sycamore.

"Me too," she said. "Ready when you guys are."

Fubuki walked over and clambered onto Sycamore's back just as Tatsumaki did the same to Secter. Secter and Sycamore rushed off back into the tunnel, the city eerily quiet as they moved throughout the buildings. A thick fog of unease coated the entire place for Secter, the once bustling city now devoid of noise or life. As he made it back to the barrier, he ripped a chunk of it aside to allow for easy access, spotted the other rifle sitting on the ground along with an elimination knife, and handed both to Sycamore.

"Thanks," said Sycamore, activating the bayonet as he held his gun. "I'll be needing this." He slid the knife to his side, the weapon shimmering as it glued itself to his leg.

Secter nodded and the four of them continued on back into the city, reaching an intersection with several abandoned cars resting in the middle. As Secter drew closer with Sycamore right at his side, the middle of the city became engulfed with a giant white orb of light. It expanded until its flickering edge was only a few meters away from Secter, a titanic wall of gleaming light that devoured everything in its path.

"Run!" said Secter, his brain going up in flames as he turned around and sprinted back towards the tunnel. Tatsumaki dug her fingers into his chest as he ran, squeezing her eyes shut tight as the wind howled and moaned all around them. Sycamore pulled up just a few paces ahead of Secter, running for dear life with Fubuki gawking in awe at the ball of death behind them. They made it back to the edge of the tunnel, Secter starting to rush back inside when he noticed that Sycamore was no longer in front of him. Glancing back, he saw Sycamore standing still and staring back out of the tunnel, his chest heaving.

"Fuck…" said Sycamore. "That stab got me more than I thought…"

"Sycamore, run!" said Secter. "You have to run!"

"It's alright!" said Fubuki. "The light's gone!"

"What?" asked Secter. He came to a screeching halt, dust being kicked up by his sudden stop. Turning around, he made his way back over to Fubuki and Sycamore and looked out through the tunnel to see that the massive sphere was gone. In its wake was a clearing large enough to fit hundreds of cars, all of the buildings and roads evaporated in the sphere's wake. A few buildings had been clipped by the ball, missing giant circular sections right down the middle. Secter stepped out from the tunnel, listening for any sounds of screaming or crumbling buildings. He heard nothing but the clomping footsteps of Sycamore behind him.

"That was a Soulless…" said Sycamore.

"Silan," said Secter. "Felt it, was way too strong for me to nullify."

"We best not try," said Sycamore. "Silan will find us if we do."

"Fuck…" said Secter. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Trying to draw us out maybe?" asked Sycamore. "Would be my guess."

"A trap," said Tatsumaki. "He could be laying a trap."

"Probably," said Secter. "Alright, fuck that. We're going to sneak around, see if we can't see the bastard before he sees us."

"Christ, he made a clearing that goes almost all the way to the factory," said Sycamore. "Hope there weren't still people in those buildings…"

"We'll circle around," said Secter. "Avoid that area. See if we can make it to the factory, try not to make much noise. If we're lucky, we can get there, find bigger guns and maybe some medical supplies, hopefully group up with Koros and Vastal. If not, well…"

"Guess that's all we got," said Sycamore, his eyes trained on the devastation left in the energy ball's wake. "Fuck, I don't want to know what this guy has planned…"

"Neither do I," said Secter. "But let's get moving."

They darted out from the tunnel and followed a series of streets away from the dusty clearing until they drew within a couple of blocks of the factory. Secter rushed up ahead to take cover behind a crumbling apartment building, the road to the factory just beyond. Glancing out ahead as Sycamore joined right behind him, Secter turned and nodded at his friend.

"Clear," he said.

They dashed up the street towards the factory, the world silent as they moved. Secter could see the front entrance of the place now, foreboding and surrounded by grey columns as many Soulless buildings normally were. He crept up closer, keeping his rifle at waist level.

Someone coughed from somewhere to Secter's right. Secter whipped around but only saw more of the courtyard right before the factory. There was another cough, a drenched sound of irritation and pain.

"That…" said Sycamore.

Secter raised a hand up to motion for silence. Sycamore frowned but followed him, Fubuki letting out a little groan when he stumbled a bit over a clump of rubble.

"Sorry," he murmured. "Stomach still bleeding?"

"Yeah," said Fubuki. "I've been keeping pressure on it, but I hope we find some bandages soon."

"Me too," said Sycamore. "Pray this is over soon."

Secter came to a halt behind a series of bushes that separated his street from the next one over. Glancing out from his spot, he saw Koros slumped over the side of a speedbike sitting in the street, small rivers of red running down from his back.

"Koros?" asked Secter, stepping out from his hiding spot. Sycamore followed him, his eyes widening in shock as he saw Koros turn around to face them.

"Oh hey assholes," said Koros. "Long time no see."

"You made it out?" asked Sycamore. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Running around, killing Soulless," said Koros. He coughed, a gob of blood launching from his throat and slapping into the road. Leaning back into his speedbike, Secter felt his arms go numb when he saw the multitude of bloody gashes and burns all over Koros's body. Only his face seemed relatively unharmed, aside from the dark red sheen over the right side of his scalp heading down onto his forehead. "And I see you brought friends."

"Yeah," said Secter. "Figured it would be better than sending them off alone."

"Meh," said Koros. He rose from his speedbike, stretching himself to the sky. His wounds opened as he shifted his muscles, his entire body looking as if he had showered in red paint. "I suppose. How many did you guys get?"

Secter paused for a second.

"Uh," he said. "Got two in the tunnel, Viskel got another two, Sycamore, you got two as well?"

"Yeah," said Sycamore.

"Viskel?" asked Koros.

"He was helping us," said Tatsumaki. "Helped us escape."

"Hmm," said Koros. "He dead?"

"Yeah…" said Secter.

"Figured he'd be with you if he weren't," said Koros. He turned around as he snatched up his staff that was sitting on the ground next to the speedbike. He raised an eyebrow as he spotted Fubuki. "And you're…"

"I'm Fubuki," she said. "Tatsumaki's sister."

"Oh right," said Koros, a smile stretching across his face. "The one Sycamore wanted to get all touchy with. And hey, can't say I blame em."

Sycamore felt like someone had taken a blowtorch and was holding it inches from his face.

"I did not say that!" he shouted. "Not even remotely close!"

"Goddamnit Koros," said Secter. "Now's not the time for this. And Sycamore, keep it down…"

"Uhhh…" said Fubuki. She was bewildered by Koros's comments, and a tiny part of her was outright amused at Sycamore's obvious embarrassment.

"It's nothing," said Sycamore, wilting as his face began to burn. "I just…said I would've liked a hug, that's all. Enough of this."

Tatsumaki gave both Sycamore and Koros a strange look, her gaze finally resting on Koros as she sighed.

"Alright alright," said Koros. "We gotta find where the hell Silan went then."

"You saw him?" asked Secter.

"Yep," said Koros. "Motherfucker had an energy launcher too, nearly killed me with it."

"Maybe if Vastal is around we can group up with him too," said Tatsumaki. "We'll need all the help we can get against Silan and whoever he has left."

"Well between the ones you guys killed and the ones I killed," said Koros. "Plus the ones Vastal killed, I'd say that Silan might be running a little light on people. Aside from the one that escaped me anyways." He rubbed his chin for a moment before jolting upright. "And oh, uh, Vastal's dead. Probably saved my life too, he tossed me aside as Silan shot at us with his launcher."

Tatsumaki's heart plunged to her stomach, burning the whole way. She groaned as she slid further down Secter's back. Glancing over at Fubuki, she noticed that her sister had turned just as pale as she felt.

"Silan killed him…" said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah," said Koros. "Got him with the launcher. Oh, name's Koros by the way Fubuki, not that that's going to matter too much longer."

"Vastal was the one who got sis out in the first place," said Fubuki. "He was rough at first, but got better over time…"

"Fucking Silan," said Tatsumaki. "I hope you three rip his fucking throat out."

Koros grinned over at Tatsumaki.

"That's the plan," he said. "I'm assuming he's somewhere over by that giant deathball he just made."

"Probably," said Secter. "We're going to have to be careful, a head-on confrontation wouldn't go well."

Sycamore eyed Secter, and then Koros.

"Not to mention the fact that we all look like shit right now," said Sycamore.

"Yep," said Koros, wincing as he sat back down against his speedbike. "Ugh. So, do we have a plan?"

"Look around for Silan and whoever's left," said Secter. "Hope he doesn't see us first."

"Sounds good to me," said Koros, sliding his body over the speedbike. "Ready when you are."

"You don't want to look around for meds and guns?" asked Sycamore. "Speaking of which, where the hell is your gun?"

"Uh, dropped it," said Koros. "And no, I don't want to look around. Longer we wait, the more likely Silan's gonna get annoyed and will start killing randos or something. Hope the rest of the people in your group are safe by now."

"They…" said Sycamore. "He could teleport them…"

"Well, we'd feel it," said Koros. "So I don't think he has yet. Even still, best not to wait."

"Right," said Secter. "We finish this."

"From the beginning to the end," said Koros. "Ready to go."

"Let's hunt him down," said Sycamore. "We came this far, we're not stopping now."

"Sis and I will keep an eye out too," said Tatsumaki. "Just one more, I think it's just Silan now, just one more."

"Tell you what," said Koros. "I'm going to hover along on the speedbike, nice and slow. Partly because this thing can help, and partly because it hurts to fucking walk. If Silan spots me, I can dart off and distract him. Then you guys gun him down."

Secter stared over at Koros, crossing his arms.

"Always willing to put yourself in harm's way eh," said Secter. "But I guess that could work."

"Like I said," said Koros. "I'm ready to go."

. . .

Koros brought up the lead, cruising along on his speedbike as Secter and the rest followed. Fubuki and Tatsumaki were on foot now, with Tatsumaki looking over Fubuki's wounds as they all walked in silence.

"Living like him is no way to live," muttered Sycamore.

"Hmm?" asked Secter.

"Koros," said Sycamore. "Thinking that all this pain is normal, everyday stuff. It's no way to live. No wonder he's not afraid of death, or even wants it."

"I know," said Secter. "I'm worried for the bastard, even after all the trouble he's caused he still stuck his neck out for us. And now he's speeding ahead, maybe to his death."

"I didn't want to be like him back before I first came here," said Sycamore. "He's the type of person I worried about being. That or something even worse, like one of Silan's goons."

"You don't seem like the type," said Secter. "You strived for something better, and I hope Koros does the same."

"And I'm glad you didn't turn out like him," said Sycamore. "Got worried a few times back when we were up there, that you might snap and just go full berserk or something. Honestly, had you done that, I might've lost hope too."

Tatsumaki looked over at Sycamore, sadness billowing behind her eyes.

"I knew I couldn't allow that," said Secter. "Even if it was hard, I knew…that I had to soldier on. For everybody. That doesn't mean…that doesn't mean I'm going to pass over everything that happened, but for now, there's just one last thing I have to do before we can all start to heal again."

"God I hope so," said Sycamore. "Maybe-"

A train of yellow light rushed past the front of Koros's speedbike, Koros yelping and pulling back in response. It blasted through a series of buildings before vanishing in the distance, leaving a smoldering and ashy series of building-sized lumps in its wake.

Secter turned over to look at Fubuki and Tatsumaki, his chest growing so tight that it felt like his ribs had turned to tripwires.

"Hide!" he said.

Tatsumaki grabbed Fubuki by the arm and started to run back down the street from whence they all came. As the two of them began to stumble away, the series of apartment buildings they had all been using for cover disintegrated into ash, leaving them all out in the open. There, striding towards them with a massive grin on his face, was Silan. He clutched his staff in one hand and the energy launcher in the other.

"Why, there you all are!" said Silan as he strode closer, not a care in the world reflected in his posture. "I was wondering where you all went off to."

Secter and Sycamore tore their guns upwards and aimed at Silan. Chuckling, Silan raised his hand and everyone in the group was sent flying back straight into the clearing he had made earlier, with Fubuki and Tatsumaki tumbling across the ground while Koros, Secter, and Sycamore all went flying right into the ruins of a two-story building. The speedbike crashed not far from where Koros landed, becoming plastered into a brick wall by Silan's force.

Secter groaned and picked himself up from the ruins, his head dizzy. He tried to level his gun at Silan for a moment before he realized that his weapon was no longer in his hands. Instead, it was sitting towards the middle of the clearing along with another rifle, both him and Sycamore having lost their weapons from the force. Secter started to run towards the rifles, but Silan beat him there, sending the two guns flying in the opposite direction somewhere further into the city.

"No, you won't need those," said Silan.

"You," snarled Secter, his eyes bulging. The amount of hatred Secter felt building in his being for the creature standing right in front of him made him want to explode, his hands shaking as he imagined Silan being torn to bloody shreds in the wake of an unending volley of gunfire. He stepped closer, sliding his hand down towards the club at his side.

"I honestly wonder," said Silan. "How the hell you made it out so quick. I'd be enraged if it didn't also fascinate me."

"You," said Secter. "You're fucking dead."

"Try it," said Silan. "It's just you and those two idiots, isn't it? I would've thought there was more, but then you let me get away with the energy ball, and I didn't see anyone else besides the corpses of my own group."

Secter was close now, but before he could bring his club out he found himself thrust into the ground, his back slamming against the dirt. He could hear the sounds of more footsteps drawing near.

"And you," said Silan, glancing over at Koros. "Still here? Surprising you made it. I had put you in that cart for a reason, and yet you didn't get everyone dragged down or killed…"

"Oh shut the fuck up," said Koros. "I don't want to hear any of your shit."

"Always the troublemaker," said Silan, saliva dripping from his chin. "But ugh, what a mess you made. Now I'll have to go back and get a brand new set of recruits, the last ones were worthless, even more than I thought."

Sycamore reached Secter and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling Secter to his feet to face Silan. Secter withdrew his club as Sycamore pulled up his knife, serrated and glaring in the sunlight. Koros readied his staff. All three of them hated Silan with every piece of their souls, and all of them knew that they were in the fight for their lives.

"Oh, that's nice," said Silan, glancing them over with sadistic glee. "You know what, I'll indulge you."

Silan jerked his head to the right. A portal, shimmering and crackling red with unknown energy, tore itself through the fabric of reality into existence right next to Silan. Chuckling, Silan tossed his energy launcher inside the portal, the weapon vanishing as it slipped through the opening into a violet void. Then the portal snapped closed, disappearing as quickly as it had been created.

"There we go," said Silan. "Not like that weapon's much help this close anyways."

"Ohhh," said Koros, circling around Silan like a vulture to a corpse. "You're just pushing it now."

"You're dead," said Sycamore. "What you did to us, what you did to Fubuki and everyone else, you're going to pay for it."

"No," said Silan. "No, I'll get away. I always do."

"Why you don't just fuck off and focus on the universe or some shit is beyond me," said Koros.

"I'm not interested in the universe," said Silan, snickering as his body began to morph taller and taller until he cast a shadow over the three. "I am interested in _you_."

Secter advanced forward, drawing the closest to Silan. He paused for a second as he heard shuffling behind him, turning around to see Fubuki grasping Tatsumaki and helping her to her feet. Glaring back at Silan, he charged forward, withdrawing his club and activating the blade. He swiped at Silan, with Silan twitching backwards and narrowly avoiding the blow. Laughing, Silan struck back, smashing his staff into Secter's ribcage and knocking him aside. Koros and Sycamore followed suit, with Koros wincing even before he managed to ready his weapon. Going for a jab, Koros shouted as he plunged his staff at Silan, the air rushing around him as he charged full speed at the bastard. Silan smacked Koros away with a single swipe before ducking to avoid a punch from Sycamore. Silan followed up by smashing Sycamore in the chin with an uppercut as Koros stumbled away.

All three were on the ground now, each one struggling to get back up. Secter's muscles were tearing and his body felt like a bag of sand, drooping and heavy. He collected himself just as Silan rushed at him from behind. Whipping around, Secter gritted his teeth in a vicious snarl as he brought his club-blade down towards Silan's chest, but again was too slow. Silan caught Secter in the neck with the end of his staff, slicing the side of Secter's neck open and sending Secter back. Secter clutched at the newfound wound yet he did not groan or falter. The searing pain only made him angrier. He looked up as Sycamore and Koros charged at Silan again, Koros heading to Silan's front while Sycamore ran at his back. Silan laughed, his voice dripping with contempt as he smashed Koros aside like a fly against a human hand. Sycamore managed to stab into Silan's back, forcing Silan forward and making him grunt but little else. Silan spun around and smashed Sycamore aside. The three were on the defensive again.

"Little bastard," said Silan, scratching at the spot where Sycamore's knife lay plunged into his back. "I promise that'll be the only hit you'll get."

Silan watched as Sycamore shuddered his way back into an upright position, blood pouring from his mouth. The hatred behind Sycamore's eyes burned into Silan's skin, and he felt a similar sensation crawl along his back. Silan was used to being looked at with pure hatred, yet the amount he could feel here was like he was in a boiling cauldron, every simmering bubble like a person ready to explode at him and home in for the kill. He smiled.

"You know it's funny," said Silan. "You're all so close."

"Please for the love of God," said Koros. "Just die already. I don't want to hear another word from you, you're trash, worthless fucking trash!"

Secter started to sidle around Silan, his eyes trained on his enemy as he clutched his club-blade. Silan seemed relaxed in his stance despite being surrounded on three sides and having a bloodied knife in his back, chuckling and smirking at each one of his adversaries. As soon as Silan turned to see Secter, Secter felt his blood turn scalding hot. If Silan wasn't dead in the next few seconds, Secter felt like he was going to detonate.

"Had I had just a bit more time…" said Silan. "Or had you lucky fools not found a way out so quick, you would've broken. I guarantee it."

"You underestimate us," said Secter. "You're just a hateful, worthless piece of shit who gets off on hurting others and watching them wilt. You're going to die here, forgotten and pathetic just like you should be."

"I may be hateful," said Silan. "But at least I understand the game. Life is just a test to see how much pain you can take, and I'm afraid your test isn't over. Agh, I'm going to have to send you _all _back to the Nothing when I'm done, aren't I?" He turned to stare over at Tatsumaki, who was limping along with Fubuki back towards the street from where they had initially come from. "Oh yes, I'll take you all this time, don't worry. Much, much deeper into the Nothing, to where you'll never even have the hope to fucking escape, I'll surround you with people who will want nothing more than to use your skin as a wallpaper!"

Secter charged first, just as Silan thought. Silan rushed forward, his body a black blur against the wind. As Secter reared back to slash at Silan, he felt a staff be stabbed through his stomach and out through the other side. He continued the slash, his eyes widening as he watched the blade melt through Silan's collarbones. Silan growled, the guttural sound of a ravenous animal ready to tear into the flesh of its next meal. Silan kicked Secter away, Secter sliding out from the staff and falling back onto the ground. Secter clutched at the hole in his stomach, oozing blood and setting his insides aflame.

Koros reached Silan's back and swung his staff downwards, bashing his weapon across Silan's spine and hammering Sycamore's knife deeper into Silan's back. The staff shattered into two sections as Koros finished his swing, the smaller part falling over to Silan's side.

Silan howled in pain but straightened back up, rubbing his back as if someone had just delivered him a light punch.

_Oh what the fuck?! _thought Koros as he lifted the ruins of his staff up to his face. The edges of his staff resembled a tiny mountain range of steel, various peaks of metal all in a little circle. As Koros looked up back to Silan, he was welcomed with the sight of a glimmering sheen of grey heading straight for his face. Koros had the breath knocked out of him as he was smashed into the ground.

Sycamore had rushed around to Silan's back as Koros was attacking him, blinking as he spotted his knife go from a handle shivering in the wind to half of a handle buried into Silan's skin. As Koros's staff smashed to pieces over Silan, Sycamore scrambled to the dirt and snatched up the other piece of the staff even as Koros was being beaten down. Sycamore pulled the staff, not much longer than a baton, up to waist height and charged at Silan, screaming as he lifted the weapon over his head and swung it down towards the rear of Silan's skull. Silan whipped around, his body twisting like a tornado, and swinging his own staff to hit Sycamore in the side.

Sycamore's mouth gaped open as he felt something rupture inside of him. He stumbled away, dropping the staff as he wrapped both arms around him. Pain had become all he could feel, overtaking all his senses, blurring his vision. He looked up to see Silan towering over him, streams of saliva running from his mouth.

"Goodbye," said Silan. "I'm getting sick of this now."

Silan smacked Sycamore across the head with his staff, knocking Sycamore to the ground. Eyes watering, Sycamore gasped as he tried to crawl away, his breathing turning to a stilted gurgling noise as he grasped at the dirt. Silan smashed his staff onto Sycamore's back, flattening Sycamore on the ground. Sycamore's mind was going numb, every fiber of his being telling him to run but his body nowhere near capable of doing so. From the distance, he could hear a voice, faint against his muddled senses.

"Sycamore!" screamed Fubuki.

"Fubuki…" said Sycamore. "Go…"

Silan burst out laughing, his voice crackling through the air. He reared back and swung his staff down onto Sycamore's back again, pieces of Sycamore crunching underneath the vicious blow. Sycamore let out a tiny gasp, blood spurting out from his throat as he opened his mouth.

"Ahh…" said Sycamore.

Silan reached down and grabbed Sycamore around his neck. Squeezing, Silan crushed Sycamore's throat closed and trapped the flowing blood in his esophagus. Sycamore went limp in Silan's grasp, twitching as he felt something slide within his organs that wasn't supposed to be moving. Silan tossed Sycamore towards a stumbling Koros, who reached both hands out to catch Sycamore as he collapsed over Koros's shoulder. Sycamore's mouth began to gush with blood again, drenching Koros's shoulder as Koros steadied him.

"I don't think…" groaned Sycamore. "I can go much more…something in me…burst, fell apart…"

"It's gonna be alright," said Koros. "Come on man, you've been through worse. Fubuki needs you right now."

"I know…" said Sycamore. "I know…but I'm falling apart here, the stab wound, the stab did me in…"

"You got a good hit in on that bastard," said Koros. "Just one more like that, but just a little higher, and we can end this shit."

Sycamore trembled as he slumped against Koros. Though Koros was ready to support him back to a standing position again, Silan was stalking towards him, growing taller and taller until he was nearing fifteen feet tall. Koros gripped the remnants of his staff as he let Sycamore slide to the ground.

_Motherfucker, _thought Koros. _Can't nullify him, and he takes these attacks like a fucking monster. As much of a piece of shit he is, at least he ain't a pushover like his followers._

Koros spread his legs as he readied himself into a combat stance, clutching his staff with both hands.

"What the hell do you think you're going to do?" asked Silan. "I basically have the power of three Soulless over you when your friend finally falters. When your friend over there falls as well, I'll be able to grievously hurt you with powers alone."

"Bitch you could hurt me now with powers," said Koros. "You're just fighting us this way because you enjoy it."

"Ahh you were always a thorn in my side," said Silan. "Yet I still saw a potential in you, especially for Secter over there. Ah, if there was just a bit more time, he could've come back like you!"

"Yeah well it didn't fucking work," said Koros. "So shut your damned mouth and take your swing you degenerate."

"As much as you might hate to think it," said Silan. "You and I are the kindred souls here. Forged in hatred and violence, more than eager to dish it out on the world."

"Yeah, but I don't get off on it," said Koros. "And I sure as hell don't waste my time with torturing people who don't deserve it. And take your swing you fuck, take your swing!"

Silan drew closer, his staff dripping with a stinking mix of yellow and red at the end. He was within arm's length of Koros now, with Koros refusing to budge an inch. Suddenly Silan stopped, his eye twitching in irritation.

"Knock that off," said Silan. "Espers. I will get to you two later."

"They still trying to help eh," said Koros. "Ah, they're good people."

"They're useless here," said Silan. "They still can't seem to get that through their skulls."

"Little support is always nice," said Koros. "Lord knows you're not going to get any."

"A god doesn't need any," said Silan.

Koros rolled his eyes.

"Oh give me a fucking break-" he said.

Koros stopped speaking as he saw Secter charging at Silan with club-blade in hand. Silan turned around and swung at him, but Secter ducked under the staff. He slashed at Silan's leg, ripping a slice of skin and muscles away as he pulled his blade through the side of Silan's limb.

"You-" snarled Silan.

He was cut off as he felt Koros jab his staff into his side, plunging it through his body and lodging it just short of his stomach. Silan sighed, the pain growing from his wounds. It irritated him.

He swept his staff in a circular motion, smacking both Secter and Koros aside like they were weightless. His eyes burning with utter fury, Silan dashed forward as he returned to his normal size, swinging again and again against Koros's body and hitting him every time. Bone after bone was smashed in and broken against Silan's assault. Koros tried to raise his hands in defense, but those too were crumpled as Silan beat them down. Reeling back, Koros's eyes widened as Silan stabbed his staff through his abdomen, raising him up into the air as the impalement was complete.

"Ha…Ha…" said Silan. "That's two."

"Fuck…" said Koros, coughing out a gob of blood down onto Silan's face as he was lifted higher in the air. "Why…won't…you…die…"

"I could ask the same for you," said Silan. "Persist and persist, normally I would enjoy such a thing but now it's starting to annoy me. I'll take advantage of your persistence after I send all of you back."

"You can send me back all you want," sputtered Koros. "But not them, no, not them. They don't deserve it."

Silan chuckled.

"Oh you know they won't be spared," said Silan. "And I sure hope they're enjoying the show…" He glanced back over to where he last saw Fubuki and Tatsumaki, yet there was nothing there but dusty street. Shrugging, Silan turned back around. "Well, I'll find them again once I take you all down. Won't be difficult."

Silan tore his staff back down, setting Koros to his feet. Koros clutched at the staff, his eyes bulging as Silan slowly began to pull it out from his body. The metal scraped against his hands as it was torn out from his organs, chunks of pink and slimy strands of red escaping from his bowels as the staff was finally pulled free. Koros's mouth filled with blood, and he lurched to the side before falling to the ground.

"Assuming you all survive anyways," muttered Silan. "Will certainly take a lot from the infirmary to save you now." He grabbed the shard of the staff embedded in his side, ripping it out with a gasp. Tossing it into the street, he turned around to see Secter getting back to his feet. Sycamore was laying further away now, several feet away from where he was laying earlier. Silan glared at him, Sycamore staying completely still under his gaze.

"And then there was one," said Silan. "I'm not sure what you expected, Secter."

_Sycamore's going for the other piece of the staff, _thought Secter. _I have no idea how the hell he's still going, but he's still going. Come on buddy, we can still do this, just one good hit…_

"The fact that you got out so soon pisses me the fuck off," said Silan. "I was expecting you to either die, or even better, come back so brutalized and vile that Tatsumaki wouldn't even recognize you. I'd show you off to her if she had even a sliver of hope left, just to take that away. And yet I didn't even get to my favorite stage with her here! The next step involved so many fun things with her and her sister, and the group, oh, the group, I was going to mutate those bastards into something unrecognizable…"

Secter marched forward, his lips peeled back in a vicious snarl. Silan limped towards him.

"Of course, you're just as tough as she is," said Silan. "Just as capable of taking pain, for such a long period of time…it's odd to think about isn't it? Tatsumaki would be a good candidate for absorption…"

"We're done with you," said Secter. "I'm fucking done with people like you. Pathetic, manipulative, relying on hatred and hatred alone. Yeah, we can take a lot, but that's because we have a lot to fight for. We're not going to let hate and violence define us, unlike _you_."

"Ah, but with a bit more time…" said Silan. "I sure hope your friends can survive a bit longer, when I beat you here in a few seconds I want to tear you all right back!"

"No," said Secter, his voice like a vocal abyss. "No more. This ends here."

Silan drew closer to Secter, raising his staff in one hand as Secter pulled his club back. A lump of blood slid down his cheek as Silan got ready to strike. He smiled.

Secter on the other hand stared up in shock as he spotted something flying down from above.


	13. Chapter 13

Tatsumaki and Fubuki lowered their arms as nothing happened to the towering menace in front of them despite their efforts. Silan had shrugged them off and had proceeded to head towards Koros, malice radiating from his eyes. Turning back to her sister, Tatsumaki grabbed Fubuki's arm and began to pull her back up the street closer to the factory.

"It didn't work," said Tatsumaki. "Didn't even distract him, and Secter isn't back up yet. We have to coordinate this, they're going to die if we don't do something!"

Fubuki was staring off into the distance, her face pale and her eyes glazed over. Defeat was sinking in, the allure of breaking down into sobs becoming stronger by the second.

"What do we do…" said Fubuki. "What _can _we do?"

"I'll tell you what we do," said Tatsumaki. "With me, back to the factory!"

Tatsumaki broke into a half-limp, half-sprint as she pulled her sister away from looking at a crawling Sycamore and back up the street towards the factory. Fubuki followed along, her stomach prickling with pain as she helped Tatsumaki up the road and to the courtyard right before the main entrance. Both were terrified to leave Secter and Sycamore behind, but there was nothing they could do just standing there.

"What's the plan?" asked Fubuki, looking down at Tatsumaki with panic building in her chest.

"Find weapons," said Tatsumaki. "Meds too. Surely they have to have some in there somewhere, either for them or maybe even workers…"

Tatsumaki's breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of a man in a yellow jumpsuit running towards her from the other end of the factory, reaching her within seconds. King, Metal Bat, Bang, and Garou all followed behind, with King breaking into a pant as he caught up to the rest.

"Saitama?!" asked Tatsumaki. "What are you doing here?"

"We went looking for you!" said Saitama. "Looked all over the place but didn't find you! Then of course there was that giant death ball, so we went snooping around over here, hoping you guys were ok."

"We're alright," said Tatsumaki. "But Secter and the others aren't. They need our help, _now._"

"What on earth do we do?" asked King. "They must be fighting Silan right? How can we help against someone like him?"

"They've already at least hurt him," said Tatsumaki. "All they need is a good hit, but Sycamore and Koros are almost dead. What I need you guys to do is follow my lead, if Secter doesn't win then we're all doomed."

"We're with you," said Saitama. "And Genos too!" He turned around to show Genos still strapped to his back, who gave Tatsumaki a grave little nod.

"Uh, good," said Tatsumaki. "But Saitama, Bang, Metal Bat, and Garou, you guys come back with me. Fubuki, King, check the factory. Fubuki can get meds, King, you find the biggest guns you can and bring them back to the clearing down there."

"They…" said King. "They might be heavy…"

"Oh come on," said Tatsumaki. "You're the strongest man on earth! We need you right now!"

King opened his mouth as if to speak, but slammed it back shut again. Dark shadows enveloped his face as he turned serious.

"Alright," he said. "I've got this."

"Good," said Tatsumaki. "Now everyone go, we don't have much time!"

Fubuki nodded and rushed along with King into the factory, while Tatsumaki and the rest of the group bolted back down the street towards the clearing.

"So uh," said Saitama as he ran down the street along with a grim-faced Tatsumaki. "What are we going to do?"

"I want you all to try and distract Silan," said Tatsumaki. "Any way you can. Please, we have to help Secter, it's going to be just him pretty soon…"

"We'll do all we can," said Bang. "Never liked the idea of running."

"Me neither," said Garou. "You ready for the spar of your life, old man?"

Bang let a cheeky grin spread over his face.

"Absolutely," said Bang. "Let's give that hateful monster all we got."

"That's more like it!" said Metal Bat. "I don't even care if it doesn't do much, I just want to punch the bastard as hard as I can!"

"I support you all," said Genos. "Though I wish I could fight."

"Sorry Genos," said Saitama. "But sometimes being strong isn't just about being able to fight. It's about standing for what's right and supporting your friends when they do the same."

They reached the edge of the clearing, just in time to see Koros collapse to the ground and Silan with his back to them. He was approaching Secter, his staff high in the air.

"He doesn't see us," said Bang. "And…it looks as if Secter might be the only one still able to fight…"

Tatsumaki looked down at Sycamore, who was pulling himself along the ground with a single arm. He left a trail of bright blood behind him as he went, his eyes trained on a piece of staff still several armlengths away.

"I'll get Sycamore to the staff," said Tatsumaki. "You guys distract Silan, Secter will need it. I'll be right behind you."

"Alright," said Saitama. "Let's do this. Also, sorry about this Genos."

Saitama ripped the strings of cloth around his waist that tied Genos to his back off, letting Genos clank to the ground. He bent his knees as he readied himself to jump. Tatsumaki ran over to Sycamore and grunted as she lifted him to his feet, his legs dragging across the ground as she tried to pull him forwards. Bang and Garou lifted their hands, flattening them against the wind as they crept towards Silan. Metal Bat cracked his knuckles and reared his body back, prepping for a lunge. Then all four of them leapt at Silan's back, Bang's hair and Saitama's head glinting in the sun and catching Secter's eye.

. . .

They slammed into Silan's back, Saitama unleashing a punch so hard that the earth around Silan shattered in his wake. Garou and Bang sent a flurry of blows into Silan's shoulders and neck, their hands darting in and out as they repeatedly jabbed and punched at their adversary. Metal Bat went berserk at Silan's lower back and legs, his hair flying apart from its normal styled pompadour to a stringy black mess as he delivered hit after hit. The four of them were a tornado of punches, a storm of raw power and strength that sent chunks of dirt and rocks flying and landing in heaps all around the clearing, most of them tall enough to overshadow Tatsumaki.

Silan's eye twitched. He wanted to feel his staff reverberate in his hands after he smashed their heads in.

He spun around, his staff moving so quick that not a single one of the fighters noticed it. Silan brought it smashing against all four of his attackers, knocking them out of the crater they had made around him and sending them flying back into the buildings over by the street. Turning around as quick as he could, Silan swiped at Secter as Secter took the opportunity to charge at him, but Secter ducked to the side, watching the staff as it swung right by his neck.

_This is it, _thought Secter. _They gave me the chance, make it count, make it count…_

He pulled his lips back, baring his teeth as he plunged the club-blade straight at Silan's skull. Closer and closer it went, flying straight towards the space between Silan's eyes. If Secter could just push it through, just get it a bit closer and right through to the brain, he could end this, it would all be over…

Silan ducked. The blade slide across his temple, slicing it open. Secter stumbled forward, his weight carrying him as he tried to stop his charge. Silan kneed Secter in the stomach, finding the spot where Secter had been impaled earlier. Secter retched, doubling over. Silan swept his staff behind his back and swung it straight into Secter's chest, laughing as Secter was flipped back onto his head. He dropped his club-blade as he landed stomach first onto the ground, and as he tried to get up, Silan slammed his staff against Secter's back, knocking the wind out of him and turning his vision white.

"Amazing," said Silan. "You just don't get it." He turned around to see the group pulling themselves out from where they had landed, Garou picking Bang up out from a pile of rubble. Shaking his head, he took a step forward, and immediately had his head smacked aside by a surprise blow to his right.

Silan stumbled, snarling as he turned to see his sudden adversary. Sycamore was standing but a few feet away, panting as blood dripped from his mouth.

"You…" said Sycamore. "Can't…win…"

"I feel just fine," said Silan. "You on the other hand, need to sit down."

Silan rushed at Sycamore, colliding into him as he punched a weary Sycamore across the face. Sycamore didn't even bring his arms up to defend himself, so wounded and exhausted that he had begun to fall even before the blow had been struck. Sycamore skidded to the ground, groaning as he inched his way back towards the street.

Silan looked over at Koros, who was laying on his side and heaving blood into the dirt. A glance at Secter revealed him to be getting back up, his arm shaking like a leaf in the wind as he slammed his palm into the earth.

Grinning, Silan started to walk towards the group, spotting Tatsumaki pulling Saitama out of the remains of an old house. He sighed as he strode past the clumps of rock that were created by Saitama's punch.

"You all still try," said Silan. "You all still try! What do I have to do to convince how hopeless and useless you all are? Don't you see? The only way for you to hurt me is nearly gone!"

Silan strode forward and raised his hand. Tatsumaki was ripped away from Saitama, her eyes widening in sheer terror as she flew through the air. Her neck found Silan's hand, and he enclosed his fingers around her throat, squeezing just hard enough so that breathing became like trying to pant after a marathon, with there somehow not being nearly enough air to sustain oneself no matter how hard they tried.

"I will just have to show you then," said Silan. "Doesn't that sound nice, Tatsumaki? I'll show you just how hopeless you really are, because you can't seem to get it through your thick fucking skull just how pathetic you all are to me."

"Let…go…" said Tatsumaki.

"Let her go!" screamed Secter, pulling himself to his knees. He lunged over and snatched up his club-blade, his hands scraping up dirt as he scrambled to his feet.

Silan's arm transformed into a slender blade of shadow, dark flames flickering all along its length. He brought Tatsumaki so close to his face that she could see the bubbles in the saliva dripping from his teeth.

"First this," said Silan. "Because you're the ringleader."

"No!" said Secter, his voice turning hoarse from how loud he screamed. He ran towards Silan's back, blade raised and ready to strike. As he neared Silan, he found himself being thrown through the air, his mind turning aflame as he tumbled and crashed into Sycamore right at the base of the street. The two of them were picked up into the wind again and slammed into the pavement, shattering concrete around them from their impact. Hunks of cracked pavement crumbled in their wake, and Secter gasped as he tried to pull himself back up.

Silan slashed the arm-blade across Tatsumaki's midsection, and for the briefest of moments, there was nothing. Tatsumaki wanted to scream from the pain, but her throat was crushed far too tight. The front of her dress went from black to bright red as blood dripped down from her stomach and streamed down her legs. Pale skin turned scarlet as Tatsumaki twitched and shuddered in Silan's grasp, the gash in her torso wide enough to fit a slender arm through.

Silan slammed Tatsumaki to the ground, and punched her across the face. Secter, and everyone else who tried to rush in to intervene, with thrown back into the streets. Secter's mind was racing, everything had melted into darkness as he focused on one thing and one thing only.

_Kill him, _thought Secter. _Have to kill him, have to kill him._

Silan smirked as he watched blood pour out from Tatsumaki's mouth, before punching her again. Tatsumaki's face was knocked to the right by the blow. Then he did it again, then again, opening up cuts and creating bruises all along her cheeks and forehead. Chuckling, Silan lifted Tatsumaki up again and threw her at Secter, who dropped his weapon to extend his hands out in panic. He caught her and pulled her into his chest, Tatsumaki shaking within his grasp.

"Now," said Silan. "It's time for you to see just how useless you all are."

Silan stretched his arms to his sides, a grin entrenched firmly on his face. His entire body began to stretch along with him, wider and wider until he split into two, strands of yellow marking down the center of his body like a bloody ladder. Two layers of black spread along the ground, a single gleaming eye bleeding down the center of each elongated strip of skin. In the center of the split spurted a crackling web of crackling red strands, twisting and twitching around like the legs of a dying spider. They grew taller and taller, enlarging until they overshadowed the buildings and ripped into the sky past the clouds. As the tendrils hit the air, the entire world went red, the tendrils flailing and stretching farther and farther out of the atmosphere. Blue sky bled crimson, and then bright red as the clouds disappeared and flakes of black drifted down from above. Buildings began to disintegrate into tiny black pieces, metal and concrete and glass melting into snowflakes of shadow. The wind howled, roaring as if mother nature herself were being tortured and torn to shreds. If they were viewing the world from outside, Secter and everyone else would've been able to see the twisting strands of red envelope not just the world, but claw their way over the galaxy, grasping it as if it were a mere plaything.

Secter pulled Tatsumaki away from the ensuing carnage, wincing as he felt pieces of his skin began to drift away just as the buildings were. He looked down and saw the same thing was happening to her, tiny pieces of skin floating off of her and blood seeping out from their exits. Glancing back at the rest of the group, Secter saw Saitama staring down at his arms as flakes of cloth and skin started to fly into the wind. Blood rushed all over his head and he fell to his knees, grasping at his skull in horror. Garou had fallen to the ground, writhing as he clutched at his sides. Skin still floated out from between his fingers, rising up into the air. Bang had collapsed beside him, red streaming down from his forehead down onto his face. Metal Bat lay in the ruins, shouting in confusion as he too began to fall apart.

The sky went dark, going from red to black in an instant. A blanket of darkness enveloped the world as the tendrils continued to twitch and wave outside of it. Millions of dark hands stretched out from the shadow, each one attached to a branchlike appendage as they tore their way down towards the ground. All of a sudden, everything went dark for Secter as the arms streamed past him, snatching at everything they could reach. Secter felt the arms push past his sides, and he held Tatsumaki close to his chest as they tried to tear at his already flaking skin.

King had made his way down to the bottom of the hill, spotting Secter, Tatsumaki, and Sycamore to his front. He had a pile of guns in his arms, the topmost poking into his chin. Sweat beaded down his forehead with drops of blood as he drew closer, his lungs burning as he finished his run. His heart already hammering, King let out a groan as thousands of slimy dark arms filled the space around him and turned his world dark. Screaming, King dropped his guns into the mass and fell to his knees, blood crawling into his eyes and stinging like hell.

Fubuki was right behind him as the arms began to impede her path, a bundle of medical supplies in her hands. She shouted at King to hit the dirt as the arms enveloped her too, her old wounds hurting even worse as the scab peeled apart.

Secter felt the hands scraping at his spine, his shoulders, the back of his neck. Scratching and tearing, Secter winced as he felt his back turn warm. He slammed his body against the hands that opened right towards Tatsumaki, knocking them away. Instead of pursuing their initial goal, they charged at Secter instead, dripping with an unknown substance and tearing at Secter with claws sharper than razors. Secter screamed as they pulled at his flesh, and whipped out his club-blade. He sliced and sliced at the hands, watching as yellow fluid jettisoned out from every hand that he severed. Secter swung and slashed, attacking over and over. His brain had melted into a burning pile of slush, the only thing rampaging through his mind was keeping Tatsumaki close and the hands as far away as possible. As he slashed through another limb, something screeched through the air, and the hands retracted back into the sky, evaporating to allow the red to seep through again. Secter's skin, along with everyone else's, continued its disintegration, with Secter's face drenched with blood. He faltered, starting to fall towards the ground. Tatsumaki pushed back, holding him up.

"Secter…" she said. "He's there…"

Secter turned around to see Fubuki hovering over a limp Sycamore, jabbing a syringe with neon yellow liquid into his arm. Tears were flowing from her eyes. Grabbing Sycamore by the back, she shook him from side to side, yet Sycamore gave little in the way of a response, only coughing out more blood. Above them, a grinning being had materialized, held to the heavens by an elongated strand of pinkish flesh. The creature held a staff in its hands, its eyes two dark pits and its mouth toothless and abyssal. All of its skin was a reddish color like that of a brick, and it laughed as it descended upon Fubuki and Sycamore.

"Silan," said Secter.

Silan touched down upon the ground, the fleshy cord that extended from his back quivering as he smirked at his disintegrating foes. He shook his head at King and the pile of guns at his legs, and raised his arm to knock them all the way back over the roof of the factory. King started to sob, placing his face in his hands as he curled downwards to his knees.

Looking back down at Fubuki, Silan raised his staff and clubbed her over the head, Fubuki screaming in pain as she fell to the ground. Blood was rushing out from the back of her skull, every part of her body aching. She wanted to collapse, to give up. Reaching out, she grabbed a bandage and tried to unravel it to wrap it around her fallen friend. Silan laughed from up above, his voice like that of a corpse learning to speak again.

"So much pain," said Silan. "I love this, I wanted this. I enjoy the pain and suffering of other people. Such is the reality of life!"

He reared back and crashed his staff down onto Fubuki's back as her fingers fumbled over the bandage roll, his weapon flying down like a tumbling building. Fubuki screamed out in pain as she felt her back muscles rip apart at the blow, collapsing yet again.

"You…" she said, blood dripping from her mouth. "Fuck you…"

Silan chuckled.

"Immense," he said. "Immense amounts of pain. Unending. Never stops. You will keep going, then you will fall. Then you will awaken again. Life continues."

Fubuki clasped the bandage to her chest. She started to unroll it.

Silan laughed and lifted the staff vertically over Fubuki's head. The end of the staff was poised to be struck into the ground. Silan's mouth began to drip.

"I just can't help myself," he said. "Tatsumaki will have to get by without you-"

Silan raised a hand to his throat as Secter tore straight through it with his club-blade. Gasping, Silan turned to look at Secter, his eyes widening in shock.

"How-" said Silan.

Secter plunged his blade right between Silan's eyes even as his own body continued to flake apart. The gleaming knife tore right through Silan's head and out through the other side, blood gushing out in its wake. Screaming, Secter ripped the blade out and plunged it back through again, with Silan dropping his staff as his brain was punctured a second time. His body returned to its normal, burning form.

All of the red in the sky evaporated, everything turning back to normal as fading skin and buildings, streaming red tendrils, and giant masses of black flesh vanished in an instant. Tatsumaki picked herself up from the ground, blinking at her oozing wounds and shredded skin all over her arms and body. She groaned as she stood, peering over at Secter and trying to wipe away the sheen of red over her forehead.

Secter stabbed Silan through the skull again, screaming as Silan started to drop. Ripping his blade back out, Secter plunged it through again. Tears dripped from his eyelids as Silan's eyes faded. Secter stabbed through his skull over and over, forming a crisscross of yellow scars in Silan's forehead as he twirled and ripped his blade through Silan's brain. Gasping, Secter readied himself for another stab, but stopped when he felt someone hug him from behind. She pulled him in close, away from Silan. Secter shuddered as he let Silan's body fall.

"It's over Secter," said Tatsumaki, as Secter started to fall to his knees. She buried her face into the back of his neck, her tears hot against his skin. A pained smile on her face, Tatsumaki began to speak again. "It's over."

. . .

Sycamore's eyes creaked open after having closed them when Silan was lurking over his body. He started shaking as if he were trapped inside a freezer, his entire body feeling ice cold. Blinking, he tried to turn his head, but the pain proved too great. He started to cry, his voice little more than a tiny cavalcade of sobs on the wind.

"Anyone…" he whispered. "Anyone left…"

Someone laid a hand across his chest, soft and gentle. Sycamore grunted as he felt something be wrapped across his abdomen.

"Fubuki?" he asked. He managed to turn his head just enough to see the outline of a black dress, drops of red scattered all along its side.

Fubuki placed her other hand on Sycamore's cheek and turned his head towards her. Her face was dripping with blood, her stomach not much better. She gave Sycamore a little smile.

"It's over Sycamore," said Fubuki, trying her best to soothe him. "Secter got him."

Sycamore returned the smile, the effort causing pain to radiate throughout his face. He coughed, sending blood shooting out from his mouth into the air. It fell back down onto his chin and he groaned.

"Thank…thank God…" said Sycamore. "I…can barely feel anything…"

"You're going to be alright," said Fubuki. "Everyone's in bad shape, but we found an infirmary type area at the factory, think King and Saitama are going back to grab more."

"They're ok?"

"Well, they're both bleeding pretty bad, but compared to you, Secter, and Koros, it's nothing."

"And your sis…"

"She's hurt too," said Fubuki. "But she's right over there."

Fubuki pulled Sycamore's head and shoulders up into her lap, tilting his face so that he could see Tatsumaki and Secter sitting at the edge of the road together. They were tending to each other, Tatsumaki biting off a section of gauze and wrapping it around Secter's wounds as he laid his head against her shoulder and pressed a hand against a section of bandage that was plastered over her torso. They were starting to look like half-made mummies by this point, enough bandages on their bodies to make movements stiff.

Sycamore had never been happier to see them.

"Ah…" said Sycamore. "So happy they're ok…"

"And over there," said Fubuki, tilting Sycamore's head in the opposite direction. "They're helping him."

Garou, Bang, and Metal Bat had dragged Koros to the edge of the road as well, each one of them bleeding profusely from thousands of tiny wounds yet continued to wrap bandages haphazardly over Koros as he muttered to them with closed eyes.

"He doesn't look good…" said Sycamore.

"Yeah," said Fubuki. "I think you and him got it the worst. So for now, just relax, and try not to move. I uh, I injected you with some of that yellow stuff, that should help right?"

"Speeds up healing," said Sycamore. "Helps a bit with pain… Oh, and don't worry about the not moving thing, I can't move a fucking thing right now."

Fubuki cradled Sycamore's head in her hands, the horns on the back of his head poking into her palms.

"And you…" said Sycamore. "You ok?"

Fubuki reached behind her head, wincing as she touched the gash at the base of her skull. Retreating her fingers, she looked down to see them wet and warm with blood.

"I'm not great," said Fubuki. "But I think it'll be alright."

"Get some bandages on you…" said Sycamore.

"I will."

"Soon, as in now."

"You first Sycamore, your body literally squished at me when I moved you."

"Oh."

"And you didn't feel that?"

"I'm kind of blurry right now, everything hurts to the point where it doesn't anymore, if that makes sense."

"I…guess?"

"So…" said Sycamore. He coughed again, and yelped as it sent pain all the way down from his throat to his toes. His voice dry as a desert, he continued. "Are…are we alright? Did we do it?"

"I think so," said Fubuki. "It's really quiet…"

"Good… I can't, I can't fight anymore."

"You don't need to Sycamore, it's over, there's no more. Just lay down, relax, we'll take care of you, we'll take care of this."

"Ok…"

"Though…" said Fubuki, raising an eyebrow at him. "What was that Koros said earlier? About you touching me or a hug or something?"

"Please no," said Sycamore, wilting in her grasp. He seemed to shrink, wither away in Fubuki's hands as if doing so would allow him to slide away. Fubuki wrapped her arms around his collarbone, trapping him in place. "I just wanted a hug, that was it, I just wanted you to be safe, and everyone else…"

"I know," said Fubuki. "I'm just messing with you. I know you're a sweetheart."

Sycamore's face starting to burn. He shuddered.

"Oh," he said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," said Fubuki, beaming at him.

"Is he alright over there?" asked Secter, calling over to Fubuki.

Fubuki turned to face Secter, smiling over at him.

"He's hurting, but he's talking," said Fubuki. "I think he'll be alright…"

Secter looked back over at Tatsumaki, who was grumbling as she unwrapped another roll of bandages.

"That's the last one in the pile that Fubuki brought," said Tatsumaki. "Hope King and Saitama get back soon."

"Me too," said Secter. "Thank God they're alright, had Silan been around for much longer…"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki, leaning her head over Secter's. "Would've been bad."

Secter shivered, feeling like every piece of his body was aching with pain, and dripping with blood. This wasn't far from the truth, though the bandages had helped stopped the wounds from bleeding in various places on his torso, face, and arms. Secter had made sure to get at least three of the bandages on Tatsumaki's stomach, and even then, they had already turned burgundy in some spots. The same was true for Secter's stomach, also wrapped heavily with bandages and burning with pain despite the injection he had received earlier.

"I'm so glad it's over," said Tatsumaki. "You have no idea how glad I am that everyone's ok… That you're here, and you're ok…"

"I think I have an idea," said Secter. "But I get the feeling…I get the feeling that we're all going to have a lot to talk about."

"You and me especially," said Tatsumaki. "Once everyone's feeling better, and we've taken care of the damage and that stupid fucking factory and camp, you and I are going straight home, and we're laying together in that bed, and I'm going to hold you so tight you won't even be able to breathe."

Secter chuckled, a couple of tears falling from his eyes.

"Ah, feels like it's been forever," he said. "I'd love that, I really would."

Tatsumaki lifted her head off of Secter's and he looked up to face her, the two of them smiling at one another even through the pain that trickled through almost every part of their bodies. Secter leaned in and kissed Tatsumaki, who smushed her face against his as she pushed her lips in. Their tongues met as they kissed one another, the two of them beaming until they both felt a trickle of copper in their mouths. Secter raised an eyebrow and pulled away, as did Tatsumaki after making a confused face.

A small stream of blood had run down Secter's face to his lips, and he grimaced as he wiped it away.

"Ugh," said Secter, his lips puffing out as he spat out a sliver of red. "Shit, sorry about that."

Tatsumaki pulled Secter next to her side.

"Ah, it's ok," said Tatsumaki. "It's not like this is the first time I've tasted something from your body anyways."

Secter's face went bright red, visible even through the bloodstains across his forehead and cheeks.

"Woah Tatsu," he chuckled. "Jesus."

"What?" asked Tatsumaki, a little smirk on her face. "I'm just telling the truth…"

"Your sister is literally right there," said Secter. "Literally like six feet away from you."

Tatsumaki's face dropped and she turned around, looking over to see Fubuki talking down to an exhausted Sycamore. She glanced back at Secter, shrugging.

"Ah it's fine," she said. "She didn't hear."

Secter smiled and just shook his head.

"I like how embarrassed you still get over it though," said Tatsumaki. "I really like it. It's cute."

Secter's face burned hotter.

"I don't even know why I do," said Secter. "I just kinda do."

"It's because you're a private guy," said Tatsumaki. "You like keeping stuff between us."

"I guess…" said Secter. "That and I wasn't expecting you to say that."

"You're still the same old dork," said Tatsumaki, burying her head against his chest. "The same man I fell in love with. I love you Secter, so, so much."

"Oh Tatsu," said Secter, hugging Tatsumaki into his body. "I love you too."

He rested his chin atop Tatsumaki's head to gaze over at Koros, who was limp in the hands of Garou and Bang.

"How's he doing?" he called over.

"Not great," said Garou. "But he's still talking. Actually told me to go fuck myself a moment ago, don't think he's totally lucid but he's still breathing."

"Tough bastard," said Metal Bat. "I gotta say, even I'm impressed."

"Yeah," said Secter. "He can take a lot. We all can…"

Tatsumaki sighed into Secter's chest.

"No more," she said. "Life doesn't have to be all this, just pain and misery constantly. I hated that you two were ripped right back, no more, it's over."

"You're right," said Secter, kissing the top of Tatsumaki's head. "It's time for people to heal, it's going to be tough, but at least we'll be free of all this hurt once we're done. Or at least better…"

Saitama and King came scrambling down the road, each one carrying more bundles of bandages and needles. A few of the needles dropped from King's hands and tumbled to the ground, rolling along the road as Saitama and King stumbled behind Secter and Tatsumaki.

"We found more!" said Saitama. "There was lots actually, hopefully enough for everyone."

"Good," said Secter. "We'll need as much as we can get."

Saitama sat down next to Secter and Tatsumaki, setting his medical supplies on the ground while King plopped down next to him. Laying all of his supplies before him, King scrambled around to pick up the needles he had dropped. Saitama rubbed at the blood drizzling from his head, sighing at how his clothes had almost completely changed colors. He got back up and walked over to Genos, whose face and body were ridged and crumbling at various spots. Picking Genos up, Saitama sighed when Genos looked over at him.

"Thank goodness," said Saitama. "Was worried for a second."

"Thank you Saitama," said Genos.

"Uh, for what?" asked Saitama.

"For your concern," said Genos. "Is everyone else alright?"

"They've been better," said Saitama. "Hopefully Kuseno is still alive out there, because you're gonna need some repairs. Plus, you know, he's a good guy."

"I hope so too," said Genos. "I am ready to start rebuilding."

Saitama carried Genos back towards the clearing, the two of them chatting the whole way. Setting Genos down not far from Fubuki, Saitama and King started separating the medical supplies and handing them out, to Fubuki, Tatsumaki and Secter, Garou, Bang, and Metal Bat. Everyone went to work wrapping themselves, with Secter reminding the group that the injections were for Soulless and Volunteers only. After a while they had exhausted the entire supply, with everyone looking like they had just come out of a disaster at a gauze factory.

"Well," said Secter, leaning back against Tatsumaki. "Hopefully that'll be enough to let Sycamore and Koros pull through…"

"He's sleeping," said Fubuki, holding Sycamore's upper body in her arms. "Which is good, he deserves it."

"He'll need it," said Secter. "All this stuff will help, but the healing process takes time and is still pretty painful. Especially after all that."

Koros grumbled as he started to pull himself to a sitting position, Bang and Garou jolting in surprise at his sudden movements.

"The fuck…" said Koros, clasping a hand to his forehead. "What happened?"

"Silan's dead," said Garou. "Starting going crazy with his powers, then tried to kill Fubuki, but Secter got to him and stabbed him through the head."

Koros looked over at Secter, who returned his look while resting his chin on Tatsumaki's head.

"Nice job," said Koros. He peered back down at himself, sighing. "And I'm still here eh."

"You are," said Bang. "Looks like you're going to make it, despite such grievous injuries. You're a tough one for sure."

"Yeah," muttered Koros. "I know."

He collapsed back against the street, staring off into the sky.

"Wake me when it's time to start rebuilding shit or whatever," said Koros. "I assume you want to tear that factory and the camp down, and I can help with it once I don't feel like complete ass."

"We do," said Tatsumaki. "And Koros?"

"Yeah?" asked Koros, twisting his neck to look at Tatsumaki.

"Thanks," she said.

"Mmh," said Koros, looking back at the sky. "No problem."

. . .

The afternoon went on with many in the group collapsing to take a rest right there on the ground, Secter and Tatsumaki holding each other as they slumbered away. Fubuki dozed off upright, still clutching Sycamore. Koros was one of the few who refused to sleep, instead keeping an eye out for any potential threats along with Metal Bat.

"I know at least one of em got away," said Koros. "Don't think he's coming back though."

"We did see a ship leave earlier when we were running around," said Metal Bat. "Maybe it was that guy."

"Probably," said Koros. "His late friend mentioned something about running off to the hangar. But aside from him, I think we finished off the group."

"Badass," said Metal Bat. "You guys are fuckin heroes."

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "Feels nice to get rid of those assholes. Just…ugh, tired of having to do shit like this all the time. But on the other hand, it's what I'm good at, what I'm used to."

Metal Bat squinted at Koros, not quite sure what to make of what he had said. Koros caught his gaze and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," said Koros. "Ah, fuck, my stomach…" He clutched at his midsection, contorting his face in agony. "Gonna need to lie down alright? If you see even the slightest hint of something suspicious, just start screaming. Hopefully I'll be able to get the fuck up and fight it or whatever."

"Uh, alright," said Metal Bat. "Get some rest I guess. Hope we can get moving again soon, I really wanna check on my sis."

"Soon…" muttered Koros. "Don't worry…"

Koros fell into a deep slumber as he turned his head against the ground, the world going dark as he slept away.

By the time he woke up, most of the rest of the group was still around, some also getting up from various states of sleep. Sycamore was half-awake in Fubuki's hands, with Fubuki talking down to him as he started to shift and move. Secter and Tatsumaki both blinked sleepily at each other as they rose and stretched, neither one able to escape the pain that spread across their faces. Saitama, King, Bang, and Genos were all talking off to the side, while Metal Bat and Garou had collapsed down onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Mmm," grumbled Koros. He rose from his spot, his leg twitching as he did so. His body was like a rocket of pain, exploding from his knees and shooting straight up into the rest of his muscles and bones. Scrunching his face in sheer agony, Koros took a step forward, catching the gaze of Secter and Tatsumaki as he did so.

"You alright?" asked Secter.

"I feel like fucking garbage," said Koros. "But thanks for asking."

"Yeah, it'll take a bit," said Secter. "I think though…I think we're in the clear."

"Think so too," said Koros. "Batboy over there mentioned a ship leaving, think Greidhof fucked off. So in terms of Silan's group…we might be all good."

"Thank God," said Tatsumaki. "But how can we be sure?"

"Well, you want to clear out the camp and factory right?" asked Koros.

"Yeah…" said Tatsumaki, raising an eyebrow.

"Secter and I can destroy the buildings with leftover ships if we have any," said Koros. "Otherwise we'd have to pick it apart with powers, we might get a bit of headway if we focus on weakpoints and no one nullifies us. Would be exhausting considering our condition, and usually it takes at least six or so to make some major damage to buildings, let alone a factory or jail, but we can try it. Also, we can take a look around the world with our powers, and if our vision gets blurred anywhere, we'll know there's at least one bastard still around."

"That could bring them though…" said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah," said Koros. "That's the dangerous part. But at least we'll know they're around as opposed to just laying here like sleeping ducks."

Tatsumaki and Secter exchanged worried glances, the both of them wishing they could just lay back down and sleep for years with one another at their sides.

Koros shrugged. "Up to you."

Secter sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Well," he said. "It might not be a bad idea. Would prefer to stick around for longer, but making things safe should be top priority…" He stretched out to the sky, groaning as he felt the dozens of gashes all along his body shift along with his moving muscles.

"_More _fighting?" asked Tatsumaki, hunching herself over.

"Doubt it," said Koros. "Think it's over. But it's best to make sure. Still, wish I could fucking walk without my body wanting to collapse in on itself."

"Yeah, mine too," said Secter. "Guess we can go for the factory first then."

"Sure," said Koros. "Let Sycamore rest some more, doubt he can even get up."

"Can't," murmured Sycamore.

"Well, guess that settles that," said Koros. "Let's tear this bastard down, no need for it to stay an eyesore for the whole city."

"And if there's still people in there?" asked Fubuki.

"We can check," said Secter.

"Yeah," said Koros. "Just uh, brace yourself. Saw some weird shit in there, and with the place basically being a haven for Silan's creeps to mess with humans…the results probably ain't pretty."

Secter shuddered.

"Great…" said Secter. "We'll…we'll have to find out just how many died in there, and who…"

"Good luck with that," said Koros. "But uh, I'm guessing you want to make like a memorial or something?"

"Well yeah," said Secter. "Why wouldn't we?"

Koros pushed his lip out and nodded.

"Ah," he said. "Good on you, I suppose. God knows the Soulless up there don't normally get things like that."

"Like I said," said Secter. "I try to remember these things. To remember people. Varo, the Drumlords, the auctioneer, and more. I don't let them pass on and just walk away. I don't want that to become normal life."

"Right," muttered Koros. "I figured as much." He sighed as he took a step forward, beginning his painful limping session towards the factory. "Well, let's get over there at least. We can check it out, make sure it's clear, blast it down with a ship, and go for the camp next."

"Tear the whole place down," said Tatsumaki. "We don't need those horrible places to remind us he was here."

"Oh they're going," said Secter. "Just a sec."

Secter walked over to the end of the street and stood adjacent with Koros. The two of them stared off at the factory in the distance, grim yet determined. The battle was over, somehow the three of them emerging victorious despite the overwhelming odds and the terrible pain. Only thing left was to destroy what Silan had built, his torturous and needless creations needing to become a thing of the past. Secter was all too happy to see the place be torn to the ground, his exhaustion still hitting him in the chest and head like a champion heavyweight boxer. But on he would go, for Tatsu and everyone else in the group. One last thing to take care of.

"Alright," said Koros. "First, a peek."

Suddenly the entire complex became visible to Koros and Secter despite the outside being unchanged, every room, every conveyor, everything down to the merest scrap of metal on the ground or discarded weapon was revealed to their minds. Secter scanned the place, most of it being fairly close to a mix between a weapons factory and a barracks, with an area holding several beds that had their mattresses firmly dented in, and various rooms with machinery for building weapon parts.

_Nothing odd there, _thought Secter. _Though hell, some of those machines actually got dust on em, looks like Silan's people weren't terribly productive. What a surprise. _

"No one's nullifying us," said Koros. "And…yep, there it is. Bottom right, and the rooms adjacent to it."

Secter swallowed, a hot trail of blood and phlegm running down his throat. He turned his vision to where Koros had pointed out.

A single room, alone and far from the rest of the factory, lay with its walls coated in rotting flesh partway underground. Skin hung from the ceiling, the stretched out remnants of faces spread across the walls to lengths they should never go. Streaks of rusty red were splotched along the floor and off to a single, unblemished bed at the end of the room. Secter felt vomit rise up from his stomach and explode up towards his throat. He pushed it back down, grimacing at the thought of what the room might smell like.

"You seeing this shit Sycamore?" asked Koros. "Can feel you using the power too."

"Yeah…" said Sycamore. "Wouldn't be surprised if it was from that masked asshole…"

"See what?" asked Fubuki.

"Uh, nothing," said Sycamore. "Nothing good."

Fubuki sighed as she pushed Sycamore further up into her stomach. Sycamore twitched, swallowing as he tried to curb the rising tide of nervousness within his head.

"And beyond it," said Koros. "Behind that room."

Secter pushed his vision past the room of skin to see a massive hall, dark, dreary, and devoid of life. There were splotches of red all over the walls and floor, along with a couple of corpses so badly mangled that Secter wasn't sure if they'd ever be recognized again. Clumps of brown littered the floor, along with slivers of substances that appeared to be rotting under the harsh lights from above. Rows of beds, little more than mattresses on metal frames, lined the walls for hundreds of feet on both sides. Secter grimaced, clutching at his stomach as he surveyed the final area.

"Definitely more…casualties," said Secter. "Fucking bastards…"

"What?" asked Fubuki, turning in terror away from Sycamore. "Who?"

"Dunno," said Koros. "Looks like the place is empty now though. So either everyone just got the hell out when the shit started to go down, or Silan's people killed em all. One or the other."

"You really need to start wording these things better," groaned Sycamore.

"Don't worry about it," said Koros.

"Are any of them in suits?" asked Fubuki. "My group…"

"Don't think so," said Secter. "But they're hard to recognize…I hate to say it, but I don't think we'll know what happened fully until we get everything sorted out. We can take out the people we see in there, then crumple the whole damned building."

"Fair enough," said Koros. "I'll teleport the bodies out. Then we can check the hangar for a ship, too exhausting to bring this place down at the moment."

Koros raised his arm while Secter did the same. The remnants of the fallen vanished from the inside of the factory to a safe distance outside, away from later strafing.

"All set," said Koros. "It's…weird seeing how your group reacts to this stuff by the way."

"I know," said Secter. "You're used to it."

"Mmh," said Koros. "You want to check the hangar for a ship real quick? Think we're in the clear."

Secter was worried about Tatsumaki's reaction, but she gave him a tiny nod.

"We'd have to do it regardless," said Tatsumaki. "Though I'd prefer you'd stay, rest more…"

"I'll go," said Koros. "One sec."

He teleported away, leaving a shocked Sycamore and Secter in their wake. As Secter groaned, knowing he'd now have to stop Koros from killing himself again, he felt Tatsumaki grab his arm tight. He hesitated.

Koros appeared back not a minute later, smiling.

"Yeah," said Koros. "We got extra aircraft. Place is dead too, not a soul around to shoot or nullify me."

"Wish we could've just nabbed more ships earlier, or even teleport out of that jail," muttered Sycamore.

"We'd be nullified, located, and killed," said Koros. "We did the best we could do."

"So we'll strafe the factory later?" asked Secter.

"Yeah," said Koros. "The main building in the camp too. The huts we could probably crumple even in our condition, they look like shitty construction."

"That works," said Secter. "Guess it's off to the camp then."

"Get rid of them both," said Fubuki, her eyes going dark. "We don't any remnants of that place."

"Agreed," said Tatsumaki.

"Are you going to take the camp down from here?" asked Fubuki.

"No, think we'll get a bit closer," said Secter.

"I want to see," said Fubuki.

"Same here," said Tatsumaki. "Want to see that place burn to the ground."

Secter peered over at the rest of the group, raising an eyebrow as Saitama ran over and shook both Garou and Metal Bat awake.

"Hey," said Saitama. "Guys. Secter's gonna destroy the camp now. You want to go see it?"

"Yeah," mumbled Metal Bat. "But let's make this quick, gotta find my sis…"

"We won," said Garou. "Tell me we won."

"I think we did," said Bang. "I think it's over…"

"Come on you two," said Saitama. "We'll find Zenko here right quick too. Man, I'm shocked you two slept through the factory falling."

"To be fair," said Koros. "Everyone's exhausted as fuck. Hell, I could sleep through a damned nuclear explosion right now…"

Secter started towards the camp, Tatsumaki closing in on him and grabbing ahold of his arm as he made his way closer to the main building in the distance. They smiled at one another, their companionship devouring the world around them, the only thing they could focus on.

"Sycamore, I'm going to get up, alright?" said Fubuki.

"Ok…" said Sycamore.

"And I'm taking you with," said Fubuki.

"Hmm?" asked Sycamore. "Are you sure Fubuki? You're hurt pretty bad, and I don't want you to strain yourself…"

"I'll be alright," said Fubuki. "Here."

She grabbed ahold of Sycamore's shoulders and pulled him upwards as she got up, stumbling back under his dead weight. Saitama and Bang ran over to her to steady her, but Fubuki waved them off. Heaving, with her pain ravaging her body, Fubuki lifted Sycamore up and over her shoulders. Tatsumaki reached her hand out, fear plaguing her mind as she looked over at her struggling sister.

"Sis, you could just use your powers to lift him," said Tatsumaki. "Sycamore's not going to resist you…"

"No, it's alright," said Fubuki. "I've got this…"

"Hold on," said Sycamore. "Let me just adjust my weight real quick…there, how's that?"

Fubuki fell forwards, eyes widening in shock.

"Yeah," she said. "That's…much better actually."

Sycamore wrapped his arms around Fubuki's collarbone, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Ok…" he said. "We can go. Please be careful, don't feel like you need to do this just because…take a rest if you need to."

"I'm fine," said Fubuki. "Really."

Tatsumaki didn't believe her sister for a second, but the look on Fubuki's face prevented her from arguing any further. Fubuki seemed content, happy to finally lend a hand to her friend in his moments of utter pain. She carried him along as the rest of the group went forward, with only Koros heading in a different direction. Secter gave Koros a sad look as he departed.

They made it to the camp with little talk, Tatsumaki clinging to Secter and vice versa as they walked and Sycamore struggling to not fall asleep again over Fubuki's shoulders. Sycamore felt oddly at ease over Fubuki, as if he could finally take a rest with no worries at all. He refused to sleep however, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area for more potential threats.

Secter and the rest approached the wretched place. With the count of three, him, Sycamore, and Koros focused their powers on the thin wall surrounding the camp and managed to tear a section away to leave an opening. The effort just exhausted all three of them, and they looked at one another wearily as they drew closer to the camp.

"Alright…" said Koros. "We're a bit tired for this…"

"Ship would probably be better," said Secter.

Entering the main area of the camp, the group tried to tear apart the huts with mixed success. In their weakened state they could tear sections off of the huts, eventually having each crumble one by one. As Koros had noted, the huts were shoddily constructed, but the bases of each remained. In the distance, the main building still stood, ominous and with its flags still swirling in the wind. Secter tossed some pieces of the huts at it, smiling as the metal embedded itself into the walls and tearing through the flags, leaving them in tattered ruins.

"Careful," said Fubuki. "There's…graves behind the building."

"Oh, right," said Secter, his heart dropping to his stomach.

"And in front," said Saitama. "Atomic Samurai was buried not far from where we are, poor Mumen and Lily…they need better graves, but they're in the back."

"Mumen…" said Secter. "Lily…and I see Blast isn't here, did Silan get to him too?"

"No," snarled Tatsumaki, her voice dripping with venom as she clutched Secter's arm. "He sold me out when I tried to help my sister, betrayed us, and got to be set free by Silan."

"That piece of fucking shit," said Secter. His fury rose, and he pictured himself strangling the bastard with his bare hands until Blast's face turned blue. "That motherfucking piece of shit."

Tatsumaki could feel Secter's muscles straining on his arm. He pulled his lips inwards as he glared at the building in front of him. Then all of a sudden, he peeled his mouth apart in a deadly smile.

"You know, I could teleport him back," said Secter. "Not now, but later."

Tatsumaki returned the smile, devious and angry as he was.

"As much as I like it…" said Tatsumaki. "I'm done with him. Don't want to see him anymore, don't care where he went. If he comes back, we'll deal with him, if not, then I don't care. He can fuck off, I'm tired of having him around."

"Alright," said Secter. "If…that's what you want."

"Don't get me wrong," said Tatsumaki. "I'd love to throw him in jail or whatever. But to be honest, him living alone out there, with no one to support him…I think that'll be punishment enough for now. He can exile himself."

"Who knows where the hell he went…" said Secter. "I'd prefer to punish him, but if that's what you want, then so be it. I'll leave it be for now."

Tatsumaki nodded.

The rest of the group surrounded Secter, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki at their sides as both Secter, Sycamore, and Koros focused their power on the main building in an attempt to weaken it. With great effort they finally got some of the base structure to weaken and collapse, and they looked on in shock as the main building tumbled down, built about as well as the huts. One of the flags snapped out from its spot on one of the main towers, tumbling to the ground and casting a shadow on the earth below. Its brother joined it, falling right on top of the other. Both burst into flames under Sycamore's command, the fabric wilting and blistering apart as the fire spread all around it. Then the building collapsed in totality, leaving a smouldering heap of intact metal and burning flags. Secter turned his finger to the sky and sent the ruins into the air, the pieces turning into a tiny dot before vanishing like the trash it had always been.

. . .

Secter and the others watched the last pieces of the camp flew up into the sky, all of them waiting for it to finally vanish from sight. When they received their wish, the last scraps of the building no longer visible, Tatsumaki looked back down to see the area nothing more but a clearing, the same patch of desert that had been there so long ago when they had fought against Sycamore. It was odd seeing nearly nothing where they had once been so much pain and suffering, the buildings gone but the ghosts remaining. Tatsumaki knew she wouldn't forget, and with a glance towards everyone else, she knew they felt the same. There was still a long road ahead of them, even if the main threat had been dealt with.

Koros smiled at the new clearing and teleported away to the hangar, knowing there was still one more job to do.

Squinting, Tatsumaki caught sight of three sticks jutting out of the ground not far from where she was standing. A boiling hot rage filled her brain, and within seconds, she had the sticks flung out from the dirt and sent miles in the opposite direction. She puffed at her work, glad to finally be rid of the sight.

"Tatsu?" asked Secter. "You ok?"

"I'm alright," said Tatsumaki. "Just those…stupid sticks. Grave markers, Silan wanted to try and…reduce people I guess."

"Vile bastard," said Secter. "Glad he's dead."

"Well…" said Saitama. "What now?"

"We rebuild," said Secter. "Rest up, make sure everyone's alright, then heal. It's gonna take a while for things to start to come back together again, but we're heroes, we're made to face challenges like this."

Saitama nodded, glancing over at a weary Genos over his back.

"We'll have to figure out what happened while we were in the camp…" said Bang.

"Memorial too," said King. "Just because we got rid of Silan's buildings, doesn't mean we'll forget what he did."

"Absolutely not," said Secter. "And I wouldn't expect you to. But now, we start the process of moving on, of healing from that bastard. Thank God we at least put him down."

"Ship," said Sycamore. "Ship!"

Secter's heart froze. For a moment, his one ray of light, the clouds that had parted to show him the way home, were closing in again. He turned around to see a single ship darting right towards them, homing in at a speed that proved impossible for anyone else but him and Sycamore to see with the naked eye.

To Secter's relief, the ship flew right over his head, the sidedoor open to show Koros standing and leaning against the side. He hovered the ship down through telekinesis on the controls, pulling his hand up to his head and tipping his fingers away in a kind of half-salute.

"Hangar was empty," said Koros. "Remember what I said? You're all clear."

"A little warning might've been nice," said Sycamore. "I didn't realize you were going after the factory so quick"

"Sorry," said Koros. "But I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

Secter sighed, but he didn't feel surprised. In fact, this felt like something he had been waiting for, only a matter of time.

"You're leaving eh," said Secter. "You know, you don't have to go…"

"Yeah yeah," said Koros. "But one of Silan's people, probably that 'top lieutenant' guy or whatever, got away. So long as he's out there, you guys aren't totally out of danger."

"You'd be better off staying here," said Sycamore. "No reason to head back out there…"

"Do you mean Greidhof?" asked Fubuki. "That guy's a coward, he's not coming back."

"Not worth the risk," said Koros. "I'm hunting him down."

"Koros," said Secter, his voice so deep and commanding that Koros could've sworn it was someone else talking for a second. "Listen for a second."

"I'm listening," said Koros. He was tired, exhaustion clearly etched onto his face. But at the same time, he respected the hell out of Sycamore and Secter. He listened.

"You don't have to leave," said Secter. "I know, this place might seem frightening, and different, and that the idea of change is scary to you. Trust me, I know, I went through the same sort of thing. But it was a good thing, you know? Honestly, the greatest thing to ever have happened to me. Here, you can relax and not worry about constant violence or whatever horrible thing lurks right around the next corner. Here, you can get that cruise you talked about, you won't be surrounded by hatred and assholes with guns. Here, you can heal, and change for the better. It's scary, but it's worth it." Secter glanced down at Tatsumaki before looking back over at Koros. "It's worth the whole world."

"Mmh," said Koros. "Tempting. But you know, and I know, that I made up my mind a while back."

"You were disappointed huh," said Secter. "That you didn't fall during the fight with Silan."

"Yeah…" said Koros. "A bit. But that doesn't matter now."

"Doesn't it?" asked Secter. "I think a lot of the stuff you say doesn't matter means more to you than you let on. And here, you can be free to talk about it. People will listen. Hell, _I'll _listen."

"I know you will," said Koros. "But as much as I hate to say it…it…scares me. Too much. You…you can take that with you, because that's the only time I've ever admitted something like that to someone."

"It's a start," said Sycamore. "Trust me, you should stay, this place is really nice, full of fantastic people. The best I've ever known."

"Like I said…" said Koros. "Tempting. And you know…perhaps I'll take you up on your offer one day, hell, maybe I'll even visit. But for now, I got a job to do, and some…thinking, I guess. I'll leave you guys to the clean up, it looks like you've got it all figured out. Probably better than I ever could."

Secter frowned up at Koros.

"Don't go," said Secter. "There's nothing for you out there chasing that asshole, and you and I both know it."

"Maybe," said Koros. "But it's what's easy."

Koros sighed as he slumped against the sidedoor.

"I wish you all luck," said Koros. "Especially you Secter, and your girlfriend too."

Tatsumaki raised an eyebrow at Koros.

"Yeah," said Koros. "Tatsumaki, Fubuki, Secter, Sycamore, Saitama, King, Bang, Garou, Metal Bat, Genos. I'll remember, don't worry. Good luck to you all, hope you all find happiness."

"You too," said Secter. "And don't leave us hanging, come back to us sometime."

"We'll see," said Koros. "Damn if you don't make it tempting."

He sighed once more.

"Well." said Koros. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Not goodbye," said Sycamore. "Just a temporary farewell."

"Sure," said Koros, chuckling. "I guess. Good luck with your romantic pursuits by the way, Sycamore."

Sycamore turned bright yellow, his heart fluttering. Fubuki only chuckled, leaving Sycamore wondering just what the hell she was thinking.

"So long Koros," said Secter.

"Thanks for all your help," said Tatsumaki. "Though you really should stay…"

"Yeah," said Fubuki. "You risked your life to help us, we want you to stay put."

"We'll at least remember you for sure," said Saitama. "But I agree with everyone, you should stick around."

Bang, Metal Bat, King, and even Genos all nodded or murmured in agreement.

"I know, I know," said Koros. "But not now. Maybe later. But not now."

Koros banged on the sidedoor and started to retreat further into the ship, wincing as he did so.

"See ya," said Koros. "Who knows, maybe I can take you all out for drinks one day. Except for you Secter, you don't drink."

"Yeah," said Secter, smiling. "That's right."

Koros returned the smile, waving as the sidedoor finally obscured him from sight. The last thing he saw was the group waving back at him.

He darted the ship towards the factory, his hatred building as he saw its smoking towers. Blasing his cannons at it turned them to blackened ruin, and he made run after run, shredding the building with his beams. It was destroyed as quickly as it had appeared, leaving nothing but remnants to be launched away behind.

The group watched the spectacular destruction of falling metal and evaporating concrete below, the final symbol of Silan's oppression gone. Once the building was no more, the ship hovered in place for a bit, as if Koros were giving everyone one final look at him before he left. Then, he turned the ship towards the sky, and flew off, in pursuit of the one man who had gotten away.

Secter's eyes still stung even though the whole event had felt inevitable. It still hurt.

"We're never going to see him again, are we?" asked Sycamore. He too didn't want to see Koros go, even for the troublemaker he could be.

Secter sighed as Tatsumaki pulled herself closer to him.

"I don't know," said Secter. "I don't know."

Secter began to turn back towards the first clearing. One by one, the rest of the group followed in tow, with Sycamore giving one last glance behind him as Fubuki carried him off. Then, he too turned to look ahead.


	14. Chapter 14

"Tatsu, seriously," said Secter. "You need to come look at this one."

"I can't believe you dragged me in here," said Tatsumaki. "Secter, we've got stuff here that's going to melt in this weather, we need to get-"

Tatsumaki finished her walk across the bright white tile to reach Secter, who was hunched over a fenced-in circle right in the middle of the store. Within the circle was a bunch of mewling kittens, most of them clambering over each other near the sides of their pen. One of them, a cat with white fur dotted with brown and black splotches, had wandered over to Secter and had rolled over, blinking up at him while showing him its belly. Its mouth was curled back as it laid its head down on the floor.

"Look at him Tatsu!" said Secter, reaching down to scritch at the cat's fluffy neck. "He's smiling!"

Tatsumaki sighed, lifting a couple bags of groceries out from one arm and into the air, a green aura surrounding the brown plastic as they hovered beside her. She crouched down next to Secter, raising an eyebrow as she spotted the kitten. The cat rolled back onto its paws and started rubbing its head against Secter's hand, who gave a little gasp as it purred away.

"Tatsu," said Secter, looking over at her.

"No," said Tatsumaki. "We don't need a cat."

"Tatsu, please," said Secter. "This is the greatest cat ever, of all time."

Tatsumaki couldn't help but smile, resting her head on Secter's shoulder as he scratched behind the cat's ear. It moved its head so Secter could get a better angle to pet it.

"Look, it's cute," said Tatsumaki. "But we shouldn't just get a cat straight away like that. It's more responsibility, and we'd have to get a bunch of stuff…look, we should just talk about it first, alright?"

"But…" said Secter. "Look at him…"

Tatsumaki sighed, turning to look over at Secter. He was staring down at the cat, his gaze like that of a wistful traveler saying goodbye to a lifetime companion.

"We can come back," said Tatsumaki. She pulled an arm around Secter's head, pushing his cheek into her lips and smooshing them against him as she kissed away. Staying like that for a few seconds, Tatsumaki pulled back after Secter's shoulders relaxed. "Don't worry, I'm sure he won't be going anywhere."

"You don't know that…" said Secter.

"Ah, you big dork," said Tatsumaki. "We can come back anytime. Honestly, I didn't know that you'd want a pet so much but somehow…it doesn't surprise me."

"I like the idea of having a pet," said Secter.

"We can talk about it," said Tatsumaki. "Now come on, we gotta get these groceries back, and we have plans for the day."

"Alright, alright." Secter gave a little sigh as he raised his hand away from the cat, who meowed at his sudden absence. Standing up, Secter shook his head.

"Bye little man," said Secter. "I'll see you around."

Tatsumaki got up with Secter and followed him as he started to leave the pen back towards the pet store's exit.

"You're cute Secter," said Tatsumaki. "And don't be sad, this place isn't even that far from our house."

"I know, I know," said Secter. "Just being dramatic."

They left the store and walked back to their home, the both of them heading through the front door and Tatsumaki striding into the kitchen with floating groceries in tow. Secter collapsed onto the couch, wincing as a dagger of pain shot through his torso. It had only been a few days since Silan's fall, and the wounds on everyone were still fresh.

Stretching out against the cushions on the back of the couch, Secter listened to the sounds of Tatsumaki putting things away into the refrigerator as he tried to keep his eyes open. It had been a long past couple of days, with examining the damage Silan's group had caused and helping Metal Knight among others to start rebuilding the areas that had been destroyed. The current estimate for how many people who were killed or missing due to Silan and his group's actions was somewhere in the low hundreds – according to Sycamore, the people of Earth had gotten lucky, as the figure could've been "much higher." Secter believed it, and was grateful for the fact that the destruction was mainly limited to the one city, but the memory of the room full of skin and the awful living areas for the workers of the factory still made his stomach flip. He sighed as he shuffled up against the couch, fighting off another wave of exhaustion. The past couple of days he had been able to talk with Tatsumaki about some of what had happened, but tiredness and soreness had taken hold of them both and had cut many of their conversations short. Tonight, he wanted to do his best to have a longer talk, and according to Tatsumaki that past morning, she felt the same way.

Secter felt Tatsumaki place her hands on his shoulders over the couch, massaging his aching muscles as she laid her chin on his head.

"You ok?" asked Tatsumaki. "Still sore?"

"Yeah," said Secter. "Told you it'd be a while. And what about you, any of the pain meds helping at all?"

"A little. My stomach still burns if I stretch too much, but it's gotten better."

"That's good at least. Hopefully by the end of the week, we'll both be over the worst of it."

Tatsumaki smiled down at Secter, pushing her fingers down from his shoulders onto the front of his shirt.

"I know how much you miss my stretching," she said. "But looks like it's gonna happen a bit less for now."

Secter chuckled. Tatsumaki locked her fingers over Secter's stomach.

"Aww," said Secter, chuckling. "But that's fine Tatsu, you're always beautiful to me."

"Mmh," said Tatsumaki, burying her face in Secter's hair. "And you're the most handsome man I've ever seen, and the cutest, and the sweetest, and the most understanding, and patient…"

Secter melted under Tatsumaki as she kissed the center of his head, then moving on to the side, then to his cheek. Finally she made it to his lips as he turned to face her, Secter holding Tatsumaki close as he held a hand around the back of her head. They kissed with passion on their minds, love burning in their hearts. After what felt like a short eternity, they parted. Secter got up from the couch as Tatsumaki circled around it, glancing over at the timer on the over within her kitchen.

"Oh, we should get going," said Tatsumaki. "Fubuki's probably already there."

"Yeah, you're right," said Secter. "Alright, let's head out."

They left the house once again, making their way down quiet streets and various buildings surrounded by bright yellow cranes to a large patch of dirt in the middle of a silent section of town. Clumps of grass had sprouted out from the dusty clearing that had once been an intersection, along with a dandelion poking out here and there. A few of their seeds drifted through the wind as Secter and Tatsumaki approached the edge of the clearing, tiny wisps floating through the air right past them. Towards the middle of the clearing stood Fubuki, her back turned and her arms crossed away from them. A slab of solid stone lay in front of Fubuki, the foundation for something much greater in the future. Right between Fubuki and the stone was a plaque engraved into a small granite pedestal that jutted from the ground. Tatsumaki approached Fubuki from the back, looking over to see Sycamore leaning against a building not far from the foundation for the upcoming memorial. Fubuki turned at Tatsumaki's footsteps, giving her sister a weak little smile. Her eyes were puffy and bright red, and she wiped away at them with a shaky hand as Tatsumaki drew closer, sympathy building in Tatsumaki's chest like a pile of bricks upon her heart.

"Sis…" said Tatsumaki. "You ok?"

Fubuki opened her mouth as if to speak, but clamped it back shut again. She shook her head.

"Oh Fubuki," said Tatsumaki, stretching her arms out to her sides and stepping into her sister's arms. "It's gonna be ok."

"I miss her sis…" said Fubuki. "It's still hitting me, even now, that she's just…_gone_."

The two of them embraced one another, with Tatsumaki glancing down past Fubuki's side to see a list of names engraved on the plaque, with a patch of space in-between the last name and the bottom of the plaque. Sighing, she turned and buried her head into Fubuki's chest, listening to her cry into her scalp above.

Secter gave the two sisters a sad look, before glancing over at Sycamore. He was wearing casual clothes, a blue shirt and dark pants, along with a pained grimace on his face. Wheezing, Sycamore pulled himself away from the building he had been leaning against and took a step towards Secter. He succeeded in the first step, but the second proved to be more difficult than he thought it would be, and he stumbled a bit, clutching at his stomach and bending over as he stopped in place. Secter hurried over to Sycamore and held out a hand, placing it on Sycamore's shoulder as he finally reached him.

"No reason to make you do that," said Secter. "Just let me come to you."

"Yeah I know," said Sycamore. "Probably need more practice though, Fubuki even suggested a physical therapist…"

"That might not be a bad idea," said Secter, watching as Sycamore straightened himself up. Secter let his hand drop as Sycamore frowned over at the sisters.

"I feel terrible for her," said Sycamore. "Wish I could help her, she still seems beside herself."

"I don't blame her," said Secter. "I didn't know Lily well, but she seemed almost like a little sister to Fubuki."

"Oh…" said Sycamore. He groaned as he started to slouch over, as if getting ready to vomit.

"Hey," said Secter, turning towards him with worry plaguing his mind. "You alright?"

"Eh," said Sycamore. "I've been ok. Past few days I've just been laying around in my suite trying to get better, I appreciate you guys visiting me and all, but ugh, there's just so much on my mind and it's tough to talk about it all…least Fubuki has been helping me with things too, she comes around all the time and helps me move around, and we talk…it's really nice."

"I heard from her that she had been visiting you, just didn't know it was that often."

"Usually a few times a day if she can, she's also been busy with getting her group back together and making sure they're ok. Apparently most of them actually avoided the factory or even got out, others got stuck there but only Lily's the one who, you know."

"Yeah."

"So I've been trying to support her as much as I can too, but I've been so damned tired, whole body still feels like a mess, probably gonna take a least a week before I start feeling totally better."

"Yeah it's kind of been the same with me and Tatsu. Mostly us just sleeping and trying to overcome all the physical pain. It's alright though, we talk but it's fine to take it slow. These wounds…they're gonna take a long time to heal."

"I know," said Sycamore. "Just hurts to watch…"

"It does," said Secter. "Though better to let it out then to let it eat you up from inside and keep it hidden."

"The Koros way," said Sycamore.

Secter sighed.

"Yeah, the Koros way," said Secter. "Maybe even my way, not so long ago."

Sycamore swallowed as he shifted backwards, desperately wishing for something to sit against. Finding nothing, he just gave up and sat on the ground. Secter shrugged and did the same.

"Well," said Secter as he settled down. "Anything you wanted to talk about? We haven't seen each other too much over the past few days, you were taking a lot of well-deserved rests when we visited."

"Yeah, I was," said Sycamore. "And I'm not sure, to be honest I was more worried about what was on your mind really, especially seeing some of the stuff you saw back in the Nothing. I'm…I'm a bit more used to that kind of stuff I guess, whereas you hadn't been there in a while. And…it seemed like there was some stuff that really bothered you."

"You could say that," said Secter, his voice starting to drown in exhaustion. "Tiring to… try and tackle it all."

"Wouldn't have to be all of it, just…what is on your mind now, I suppose…"

"Now? Now I'm just worried about Tatsu, and Fubuki, and you, and everyone else. There are…some things, I guess, just the fact that it seems like the whole Soulless species seems content on burning itself out in pointless war and fighting even after all these years gets to me, and all those constant beatings I took…eugh, I don't know."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "It's rough to think about."

"I'd imagine more for you than for me," said Secter. "But did you have anything on your mind? Anything bothering you?"

"It's kinda the same for me, being worried about everyone else," said Sycamore. "And I did tell you a bit about some of my other worries back in the Nothing…though, I guess I don't feel quite that way anymore. I was more focused on worrying about everyone pulling through ok, I was so worried to lose anyone and somehow we made it through. And I know…I don't believe that I'm not really cared about now, what Fubuki's done for me and some of the stuff she says, I can tell she really wants me to feel ok, to not be all by myself in that suite up there…"

"Tatsu and I don't either," said Secter. "And we care about you too, you know."

"I know I know," said Sycamore. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that. I'm…not quite as good at talking about this stuff as you guys are I guess, that first time I opened up to you all was the first thing I had done like that in…a while."

"It's ok. Honestly it took me a while to be able to talk more openly about myself too."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "It's tough. But I trust you all."

Secter glanced back over to Tatsumaki and Fubuki, who were conversing over by the plaque. He smiled over at them, a small and tired one, but filled with hope nonetheless.

"Hope they do a good job with the memorial," said Secter. "Amazed at how fast the construction crews and Mumen's and Accel's old groups got things organized."

"Apparently some of them were just hiding out," said Sycamore. "Trying to get people out of the factory from time to time but it usually didn't work. Maybe they had plans for what to do in case Silan's people just left or got beaten by us."

"Don't know," said Secter. "I should go and talk to the people behind the memorial, don't even know the design yet."

"I know Fubuki does," said Sycamore. "Was one of the first things she did with her group, went to some kind of meeting where they talked about it."

"Shit, didn't even know that was a thing," said Secter. "Did we miss all of it?"

"Doubt it," said Sycamore. "You can ask Fubuki, they're probably still planning the thing."

"I bet Tatsu would like some input," said Secter. "Though it seems like they already put some stuff in already."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Don't know if it's temporary, or what…"

The two of them sat in silence for a few seconds, Secter staring off into the air while Sycamore looked at the ground.

"Still bothers me that Koros left," said Sycamore. "Can't say I'm _surprised_, but…"

"Same," said Secter. "Worry that he's still ok with the idea of just dying for the sake of dying, even if it's for a good cause."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Ugh, getting the aches again."

"Like I said, physical therapy or something might not be that bad…"

"Meh," said Sycamore. "I'll end up healing and we'll see from there. And besides, sometimes Fubuki gives me back massages, so that's good enough for me for now."

"Oh?" asked Secter, glancing over. Sycamore was already glaring at him, as if in anticipation for Secter's reaction.

"I know how it seems," said Sycamore. "But we're just friends for the moment. Close friends, but friends nonetheless. And if that's what she wants, I'm ok with it."

"That's totally fine," said Secter. "I'll uh, try not to tease you about it."

"You're going to anyways," said Sycamore.

"Naaaaaah," said Secter. "Probably not."

Sycamore started to close his eyes to the point that they were but narrow slits, before slowly opening them back up again. He knew Secter was bluffing.

"Then what do you want with her?" asked Secter. "You like just being friends, or…"

"Alright, alright, enough," said Sycamore. "I just want to be close with her, you don't have to bug me any more about it."

"Just curious…" said Secter, chuckling. "You're still coming with us to get some food, right?"

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "That sounds nice."

"Would be nice to have a full get-together," said Secter. "We can talk, get some good food, and try and figure out what to do next. There's a lot of work to be done."

"Yes, yes there is."

"And I hope, that once we're all not feeling so damned exhausted all the time, that we can go into stuff a bit more. So long as everyone's comfortable with it, of course."

"I am completely ok with that," said Sycamore. "Though like I said, I'm more worried for everyone else than I am myself. They…lost more than I did, and as for you, well, you weren't as used to the stuff up there that I was. I actually got more specific stuff in mind, but that can wait til later."

"Well…alright," said Secter. "And I get how you feel, worrying about everyone. But while we can talk, ultimately we can't really rush things either."

"I know," said Sycamore. "I know."

Tatsumaki and Fubuki separated from one another, their eyes tearing up as they looked up at each other. Secter wasn't sure what they had talked about, but he dared not interrupt.

The sisters broke off and started towards Sycamore and Secter, both of them smiling. Secter got up and reached his hand down to Sycamore, who took it. Grunting, Sycamore heaved himself up as Secter pulled, an effort that sent pain shivering down his body.

"You guys want to get something to eat?" asked Fubuki, her face pale.

"If that's alright with you," said Sycamore. "I wouldn't mind."

"Fine by me," said Secter. "Kind of hungry anyways."

"You wouldn't be that hungry if you hadn't made us stop at the pet store," said Tatsumaki with a smirk.

"Hey!" said Secter. "Admit it, those kittens were adorable."

"Aww," said Fubuki. "I missed out on the cats."

"Yeah yeah they were cute," said Tatsumaki. "But let's get going, I'm sure everyone's hungry by now."

The group departed for a café which Fubuki described as they left the clearing, Secter's stomach starting to growl as he listened to Fubuki talk about how much she could go for some waffles or even a heaping slice of tiramisu. As they made their way through quiet streets and empty buildings, another group of people, a father and a mother with two children, passed by on the other side of the street. The mother, a short woman with straight brown hair, glanced over at Sycamore, and with a terrified gasp, pulled her kids closer to her side. She tapped the father on the shoulder, prompting him to look over at her and then across the street at a wilting Sycamore. The family's pace quickened, hurrying down towards the other end of the street as if they were being chased down by a bus.

Fubuki watched the family as they went, her hands curling into fists and anger boiling within her heart. As the family disappeared around a street corner, she sighed, the rage dying down within her.

_I can't totally blame them, _she thought. _The Soulless…they have an awful impression by now, and probably will until everyone knows the full story. Even still, this is Sycamore, he was a hero when he got here, and he risked his life to beat Silan! Though…lot of people probably saw the planet sword, and of course, he's not wearing his old suit…_

"Hey man," said Secter, wrapping an arm around Sycamore. "Don't worry about that, lot of people are just scared of Soulless because of Silan. They'll come around once they recognize you, and find out what you did."

"Yes," said Fubuki, inching over to Sycamore and pulling both of her arms around his neck. She pushed his head against hers, feeling him shudder against her grasp. "They'll know soon, don't worry. They're just scared."

"I…I know," said Sycamore. "But there's other stuff too, like the planet sword…"

"I've done destructive stuff in the past too," said Tatsumaki. "Trust me. But people will come around, and if not, don't worry about them. If they won't give you a chance after all you've done for them, then they don't deserve your time."

She placed a hand on Sycamore's arm. Sycamore's breath caught in his throat, his lips trembling at all his friends trying to comfort him.

"Oh guys," said Sycamore. "Stop all this. You're going to make me cry."

"Oh we're not stopping," said Fubuki. "We're here for you Sycamore." She pulled Sycamore in tighter, and sure enough, Sycamore's eyes began to water, tiny streams flowing down his face as he tried to contain himself to no success. Sycamore's vision blurred as he narrowed his eyes.

His happy tears made Fubuki's spirit explode in joy. She wanted nothing more than to see him living a good life, he was too sweet to suffer. Nuzzling her head next to his, she smiled as she saw him blush a little.

The three of them helped Sycamore down the street and all the way to the café, his walking stunted with every step. By the time they got to their destination, they had been passing through larger groups of people, seeing more and more as they reached the center of the city. Most were starting to go back to their daily lives, many of them turning and gawking or whispering at the sight of the group entering the eatery. Some of the looks they got were those of shock, others in awe, a few of absolute worry. Secter paid them no mind, but couldn't help but feel like there were always dozens of eyes boring into his back. What was the story they knew? Did they even know about the happenings at the camp, what Tatsumaki and everyone had to go through, where him and Sycamore went, who Koros even was, whether there was a camp at all? He wasn't entirely sure, but for now, he just wanted to focus on what was in front of him. His friends and the person he loved most with all his heart, a good meal, and some nice talk.

Secter ended up getting what he wanted, the café being near empty as they sat down in a booth and the waiter acting towards them like any other customer. They all put in their orders, and the waiter left. Secter's stomach still roared at him.

"I'm surprised places like this are even still operating," said Sycamore. "I know the damage was pretty limited to the one city for the most part, but even still."

"You'd be surprised," said Fubuki. "We've always had good construction companies due to monsters, so building is fast. And people are sorta used to operating even after destruction I suppose."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "Though speaking of construction, Secter, I think you should come with us to the meetings Mumen and Accel's groups have been having about reconstructing stuff. They just started a couple of days ago with plans for the memorial, and they've been talking about getting the actual story out for what happened. You could definitely be a big help with that."

"Oh for sure," said Secter. "Wow, didn't think they'd get on it so fast…"

"This is Mumen's group we're talking about," said Fubuki. "And Sycamore, you should come too."

"Yeah, you really should," said Tatsumaki. "Fubuki or I could help you get there."

"I suppose…" said Sycamore. "I guess letting people know what went down will be a good thing, but I think a lot of people are going to be frustrated to hear that the whole world was basically just taken over by a gang of losers and assholes."

"Well, it's the truth," said Secter. "As hard as it might be to believe."

The waiter came back with a plate of steaming coffees, setting it down on the table and distributing one to each person. He left with just as much speed as he had when he got there.

Secter pulled his drink up to his mouth and took a sip of the black liquid, shivering in delight at the taste and warmth. He felt Tatsumaki lean against him, plopping her head on his shoulder and blinking sleepily across the table. Fubuki smiled at the two of them, in her mind the cutest couple she had ever seen right in front of her. She placed her head on her hands and bumped her elbows onto the table, prompting a squint from Tatsumaki.

"What?" asked Tatsumaki.

"You two," said Fubuki. "Still makes me so happy to see you two back together. You're just so alive just to be near each other!"

Sycamore smiled at Tatsumaki and Secter as they pressed themselves closer together, the skin on Secter's cheek wrinkling upwards as he pushed it against Tatsumaki's head. Sycamore looked over at Fubuki, her attention still focused on Secter and Tatsumaki.

"You two are such good sisters," said Sycamore. "The both of you, so supportive and kind to each other."

"Ah thanks," said Fubuki. She grabbed Sycamore's arm and rubbed it up and down.

The food arrived, with the waiter dropping down each plate in front of the respective patron. Fubuki helped herself to a heaping plate of waffles, while Tatsumaki and Secter both got pasta dishes. Sycamore got himself a sandwich, frowning at its size.

They all chowed down, occasionally chatting or talking about what they were going to do for the rest of the day, what plans they might have for the future, and when and where they should get together again. Fubuki suggested meeting at Saitama's house, provided it was in decent shape. Tatsumaki rolled her eyes.

"He must be getting tired of us just all showing up there all the time," said Tatsumaki. "Not even that much room."

"I think he's alright with it," said Fubuki. "And I'd like to check up on him, see how he's doing."

"Me too," said Secter. "Hell, maybe get the whole gang together if we can."

"That'd be nice," said Sycamore. "Would like to make sure everyone's doing ok…"

"We'll have to make some calls," said Secter. "Maybe tomorrow or the day after? Obviously it'd be up to Saitama."

"I'll give him a call," said Fubuki. "Everyone hanging out and talking like we did that one time would be really nice."

"It would," said Tatsumaki, twirling a fork through her pasta as the skin on her stomach began to burn in pain again.

Everyone continued to chat and eat, with most of the topics staying light. By the time everyone was done, the sun was dipping outside closer to the horizon, late afternoon creeping all throughout the sky.

"Oh that sounds amazing," said Fubuki. "You and me sis, go out for a girl's night sometime."

"To like a restaurant, or…" said Tatsumaki.

"Sure…" said Fubuki, a devious smile spreading across her face. "Maybe I'll figure out some other stuff too…"

"Like what?" asked Tatsumaki.

"I don't know…" said Fubuki. "Maybe we could go out and do something more fun, like dancing lessons or something, or even go to a club…"

Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes at Fubuki.

"…why?" asked Tatsumaki.

_She already wants to do stuff like this? _thought Tatsumaki. _She really must want to get the more awful things off her mind…poor sis. Or…maybe she's just fine to hang out I guess._

"It could be fun," said Fubuki. "You never know."

"I can't imagine Tatsu at a club," said Secter.

"Yeah no," said Tatsumaki. "I'm fine with doing something fun with you, but clubs are loud, and irritating, and just…a mess."

"Alright, alright," said Fubuki. "I'll think of something though. It'll be nice to go out and start getting back to a normal life while everything's being rebuilt."

"I understand," said Tatsumaki. "But no clubs. Just, no."

"Okay…" said Fubuki. "But you still want to do like a girls' night together?"

Tatsumaki felt a smile stretch across her face.

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "Would be fun."

"Great!" said Fubuki. "I'll have to start making some plans…"

"Nice of you," said Secter. "Seems like you got a lot on your hands."

"Yeah," said Fubuki. "I do. And while I…am kinda having it rough right now, I know I have a lot of people to support me, and I know that the best thing to do is keep moving…I want everyone to be alright."

"Me too," said Secter, beaming. "You're one of the strongest people I know Fubuki, and you're right, we'll always be around to support ya."

"Thanks Secter," said Fubuki. "And the same goes for you…agh, there's just so much to go through, and I don't even know about all the things you and Sycamore went through…"

"Lot of fighting mostly," said Secter. "And a lot of sad, sad, people."

"Pretty much…" said Sycamore. "Both of us nearly died a bunch of times."

"I'd go into more…" said Secter. "Though it's a lot. And to be honest, I want to hear more about what happened here, when you guys feel up to it."

"We will," said Fubuki. "I don't know about now, here…maybe when everyone is together, I'd like to hear from everyone else too."

"Like a…group therapy session thing," said Sycamore. "If people would be alright with that."

"We can just talk," said Fubuki. "Nothing too rough, I don't want to push people into anything…"

"I like it," said Tatsumaki. "We should get that set up."

The group was in agreement, and after a short time later, they all said their goodbyes and got up to leave, promising to meet again real soon. Fubuki led a limping Sycamore out of the café as Secter and Tatsumaki followed, and the two groups split off in different directions, everyone waving and smiling their farewells, happiness radiating through the air.

Secter and Tatsumaki went back home as the sun dipped further down, entering Tatsumaki's house and collapsing down onto the couch to watch some tv. Tatsumaki cuddled up to Secter, taking in every bit of his body heat as she could. Secter snugged her back, wrapping a nearby blanket around the both of them.

"Cold in here…" muttered Tatsumaki as she nudged her head onto Secter's side. "You're warm."

"I know, kinda cold outside too," said Secter. He leaned down and kissed Tatsumaki on the top of her head, squeezing her into his ribs as he did so. Tatsumaki murmured something and looked up, allowing Secter to kiss her on the lips instead. His breath was hot against her mouth, the two of them kissing for even as they shivered from the icy air encompassing them. Slowly Tatsumaki drew back, her eyes heavy as she looked up at Secter.

"If I wasn't so sore…" she said.

"Yeah, me too," said Secter. "But don't worry, we'll get back to it someday."

"I would hope so," said Tatsumaki. She pushed herself back into Secter while turning to look at the tv.

"So," said Secter. "I know we haven't gotten to talk as much as we probably liked…"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki.

"And I…"

"Don't want to push anything, I know."

"Yeah."

"It's…a lot to process for me still, and the fact that it all happened so fast…makes it even harder."

"Same for me."

"But…I do still feel…really…I don't know, shaken I guess. Seeing my sis in that tube was the stuff of my nightmares, I felt like breaking down when I saw that…"

"It wasn't your fault," said Secter. "It was Silan's, the bastard was trying to torture us all. How you're feeling makes sense, it makes sense that it bothers you. But you have to know Tatsu, that ultimately it was the work of a sadist just trying to get to you, that this won't happen again ever. This wasn't because of a failing on your part, and Fubuki is safe now. It's alright."

"It's not just the failing thing," said Tatsumaki. "I just…I know what he was doing. Trying to tear us both right back to the places that hurt us most. And I can move on from that, I can attribute that to the work of one asshole, but that image…it's going to haunt me for a while."

Secter felt his heart start to wilt a little, a dark shadow being cast over his mood. He sighed as he wrapped his arms further around Tatsumaki, hugging her as tight as he could, praying that he could warm her up with touch alone.

"Yeah," he said. "I know. But I hope that every time you start to think about that, that you also realize that she's ok now, that everything's alright and getting better. That we're all better than the things Silan or any other Soulless did, we won't let ourselves be defined by that…"

"Mmh," said Tatsumaki, tears running down her cheeks as she peered out from the rumples in Secter's shirt towards the tv.

"And…I don't know all of what Silan did, and it kills me. I've seen what those bastards did at the factory, and up there in the Nothing, and I'm worried…" Secter swallowed, his voice cracking under the strain of the horrible thoughts swirling in his head. "Worried that some really bad stuff went down."

"We were beaten at times," said Tatsumaki. "Silan tried to destroy us as a group, break our spirits and turn us against each other. And it worked for a couple of people, Atomic Samurai tried to sell us out but ended up being killed, and Blast did the same but was allowed to leave. And you know…poor sis saw Lily be killed right in front of her, Silan tossed a spear through a hole he made in my chest and got her. And the graves…ugh, those so-called graves. Little more than sticks in the ground, just trying to reduce us to numbers…"

Secter stayed silent. He laid his cheek over Tatsumaki's head.

"I think…I think that was the worst thing," said Tatsumaki. "All the worry I had about you, along with what I feared for the group…people being killed, people being hurt, especially my sis, she almost died if it wasn't for the fact I got some bandages for her, but of course Blast told Silan about it, and seeing people slowly start to break down, struggling to keep themselves afloat, being so afraid of just being killed by Silan at any moment…especially after he hurt Vastal and nearly killed me, pushing me into the mud…"

"Pushed you…" said Secter.

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "Beat me and nearly suffocated me while pushing me into the ground. I knew what he was trying to do too, remind me of the tubes from the lab…"

Secter's eyes widened, his mind unable to make the connection until she had told him about it.

"Oh God," said Secter. "Tatsu, that's…completely awful. Fuck, I hate that all of this has happened to you, you didn't deserve any of this, not in a million fucking years."

"None of us did," said Tatsumaki. "None of us did. And now though, now I just want everyone to get better, to start moving on and see what happened at the camp for what it was, just a bunch of assholes trying to torture us. Well, one asshole in particular. I know it'll probably be tough, but we're heroes, we can bounce back from tough situations."

"Yeah," said Secter. "You guys are the strongest people I've ever met, I have no doubt that you'll all be able to get through this. And I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"I know you will," said Tatsumaki. "And I think so too, I think that my sis might just have it the hardest in our group, but we'll pull through…"

Tatsumaki stopped. She started to move her head to look up at Secter, prompting him to move his own. They stared down at one another, Tatsumaki blinking away the last remnants of tears from her face.

"And I haven't heard much about what happened to you," said Tatsumaki. "Which scares me. Please Secter, don't try and hide things, just let me know what happened, if anything is bothering you."

"I won't hide anything, I promise," said Secter. "And going back there…it was a nightmare."

Tatsumaki felt like crying, felt like bursting into tears upon seeing Secter's face go from sympathetic to sheer exhaustion. Every feature on his face drooped, the bags under his eyes two abysses of shadow. She collapsed her head against his shoulder.

"Tell me," said Tatsumaki. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I'd be comfortable talking to you with just about anything Tatsu."

"Same here. But…go on then, please. I need to know."

Secter sniffed. He felt as if he had to tear himself back to remember everything, but ideally all that he would let out would be for the best. He didn't want to keep anything buried away so that it may fester. That was not something he ever wanted to return to.

"Well," he said. "We…got dumped at an outpost at first, had to carry the bodies of the dead into a furnace, Sycamore, Koros, and I. And…it did hurt to go back to something like that, I had seen plenty of bodies back in the war but I had hoped to escape all that, hoped everyone in the Nothing would escape all that…but they didn't."

"Secter…"

"It's alright," said Secter. "I think one of the main things that bothered me was just how everyone had accepted that everything seemed to be over, how people just kept fighting over the most trivial things instead of helping each other to get out, how people were so used to violence that they saw it as normal, just how exhausted and miserable and hateful so many people were…"

"I can't imagine," said Tatsumaki. "But…I did see how people like Vastal and Viskel were, they seemed so lost after they realized what they were doing was wrong for a little bit."

"Yeah," said Secter. "Fuck, poor Koros and Sycamore, they were up there _much _longer than I was. Probably exposed to way more things too. No wonder Sycamore was so afraid of fighting when he first got here, and Koros, well…he took violence as if it were an evening meal. Just a normal, everyday thing. Helpful as he was, I was terrified at the idea of becoming more like him."

"Doesn't seem like you did."

"No, I don't think so. Clashed with him more than once, actually. But I worry…that if I had been trapped there for just a bit longer, without knowing what was happening with you, then I might've just started to slip completely. Maybe. I don't really know for sure. I like to think I would've kept going, but it felt easy to just give in, easy to just start feeling so hateful for everything that had happened."

"But you didn't," said Tatsumaki. "You didn't give in, you were stronger than that. You're the strongest person I know Secter, you've been an inspiration to me, and my sis, and Sycamore too! I really hope you see that, sometimes it's hard to tell with you."

Secter couldn't help but smile, warmth enveloping his chest. He felt Tatsumaki's body move against him as she breathed, bringing as much heat to him as he was to her.

"I…I'm glad I could be someone like that," said Secter. "I'm glad that I inspired some people. Didn't…didn't ever think I'd be able to do something like that not too long ago, yet here we are."

"You're worth the whole world to me Secter," said Tatsumaki. "There's no one out there quite like you, I love you with every piece of my heart."

"Aww, I love you too Tatsu," said Secter, his chest billowing with adoration for her. "You're the most amazing person I've ever met, no one else even comes close in my mind. Without you, I'm nothing, really, I'm nothing."

Tatsumaki mumbled as she grabbed ahold of the front of Secter's shirt. Pulling herself up to where they were face to face, Tatsumaki smiled and rested her chin on Secter's shoulder. She kept herself there, before finally having her expression turn back to worry.

"Was there anything else though," said Tatsumaki. "You look like you have more to say."

"Yeah," said Secter. "There was plenty of fighting, as you probably guessed. Got the shit kicked out of me more than a few times. Ran into random violent bastards, headhunters, even a gang war. And ugh, they used artillery there too."

Tatsumaki froze against Secter. Her heart felt as if it had been put into a steel vice, clamping down until her chest was compressed into a painful sliver.

"And did it…" she said.

"Well, I sure as hell didn't like it," said Secter. "But I ended up keeping my cool. I think I've gotten better at disassociating stuff like that I think, it still bothered me but I was able to get back up after it. I kinda had to, Sycamore was in trouble, and I knew that if I let a stupid gun get me down I'd never see you again. So…much as I hated the sound, I knew that it wasn't what I thought it was, it wasn't because of me, that what happened in the past was long ago and something that I had accepted and moved on from. And I kept going."

"Oh Secter," said Tatsumaki. "You did the right thing, I'm so happy for you to be able to pick yourself up like that…but it's also so unfair for you to be subjected to all those horrible things…"

"Yeah, it was unfair to all of us," said Secter. "And I…I'm ready to move on, to keep going. Most of the stuff I saw I was able to get through because I had something to fight for, and while I won't forget it, I'm not going to let it consume me either. If that uh, if that makes sense."

"It does," said Tatsumaki. "It does. I don't want you to keep hurting Secter, I'll be there for you every step of the way. The fact you're so ready to not let this drag you down…I'm so happy to hear about it, Secter."

Secter smiled down at Tatsumaki, a shimmering sheen of water coating his eyes.

"I'll do my best," he said. "But it was hard up there, I had some low points. Even…even that creature came back for a bit, it looked different but I could tell it was the same thing."

Tatsumaki clenched her fingers into Secter's back, straining her body as she pulled him closer. Her eyes bulged from her head as panic seeped into every nerve, every muscle, the tiniest pieces of her mind.

"No," she said. "No, no, no."

"Tatsu," said Secter, his voice soft. "It's ok, I fended it off pretty quick."

"I never wanted that thing to ever, ever come back. Why…why did it?"

"I…felt like I had made some mistakes, and got depressed over the thought of never seeing you again. Felt like giving up, even if it was just for a moment."

"No…" whispered Tatsumaki, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"It's alright…" said Secter. "Tatsu…Tatsu, look at me."

Tatsumaki obliged, creaking her head up to look right into Secter's eyes. They stayed like that for a second, neither one saying anything until Tatsumaki opened her mouth to speak.

"It came back…" she said. "Did it hurt you?"

"Just cut me on the arm a bit," said Secter. "But like I said, I didn't let it beat me, I didn't let it bring me down. It's ok Tatsu, really. It scared me to see it, but it's ok, I'm not afraid anymore."

Tatsumaki gave a small nod before resting her chin on Secter's shoulder.

"I wish I could've been there for you," said Tatsumaki. "To help you through everything…"

"And I you," said Secter. "But it's alright, we're both strong enough to stand on our own, but we'll also be there for each other now. Anything you want to talk about, anything, you know I will always be there. I love you Tatsu, I want you to know that I'll be with you through anything."

"Ah-" said Tatsumaki, stifling a rising wave of tears. "I'll be there for you too, I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

The two of them hugged and turned back to the television, finally feeling warm and content despite their burning eyes. The sun eventually dipped over the horizon, shrouding the world in black. Tatsumaki found it harder and harder to keep herself awake as the television droned on about things she didn't really care about. All she cared about was being close to Secter, making sure that he would be ok. And for now, he seemed like he was.

Tatsumaki opened her mouth to unleash a mighty yawn.

"About time for bed Secter," said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah," he said. "You want to go now?"

"Mmmhmm," said Tatsumaki. "We can talk more in the morning if you want, though for now…I think I need some rest."

"Sounds good to me," said Secter. "Let's get some sleep Tatsu."

. . .

Sycamore lay flat on his couch, without a shirt and groaning over at his pillow. He heard Fubuki shuffling around in the dining area, pouring herself a small glass of red wine. She walked over to Sycamore and sat down on the ottoman beside him, setting her glass down on a coffee table right by the edge of the couch.

"You feeling ok?" asked Fubuki. "That was a long walk."

"Sore," said Sycamore. "Everything hurts, as per usual."

Fubuki smiled over at Sycamore.

"I think I have something for that," she said. Reaching over, she placed both her hands on Sycamore's back, her smile widening as she felt him shudder at her touch. The skin on his back was rough like sandpaper, scarred and slightly mangled from the attack so long ago. Nonetheless, Fubuki rubbed his muscles up and down from the small of his back all the way to his shoulders. Sycamore blinked at his pillow, in utter bliss at Fubuki's hand movements.

"You know…" said Sycamore. "I know I've said it before, but you really don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"It's absolutely fine Sycamore," said Fubuki. "It makes you feel good, and I like that."

"Oh," said Sycamore, his voice tiny. "Thank you."

"You still get so nervous when I touch you sometimes," said Fubuki. "Just relax, sweetheart."

"Swee…Sweetheart?"

"Well, you do have a sweet heart, so yes."

"Thanks," said Sycamore, his lips forming into a trembling smile. "You're too kind."

"You're a really good friend to me Sycamore," said Fubuki. "Sweet, and caring, and kind. There's a lot to like about you."

Sycamore felt his face start to burn. He stretched out on the couch, Fubuki pushing into his spine as he did so. Shaking, Sycamore melted down into the cushions, in awe of how good Fubuki was with her hands.

"Ahhh, you're damned good at this," said Sycamore. "And you know, funny that you mention being friends, I wonder if Secter and your sis will get suspicious after hearing about all this, you know?"

"Hmm?" asked Fubuki. "You told Secter?"

"Oh, uh, yes, I meant about you visiting and all that." Sycamore's heart began to pound, his face red hot. "Sorry, didn't mean to imply anything, I just figured they might get suspicious, Secter and Koros already liked to tease me about you and all that, and I was just, uh, thinking back to it."

"I see," said Fubuki. "Yeah…I could see them getting ideas." She chuckled, leaning down over Sycamore to start rubbing at his back with her elbows. "Interesting…"

"Ah…" said Sycamore. "So…uh…"

"Are you blushing, Sycamore?" asked Fubuki. "Your face turned kinda yellow at your cheeks, I'm not sure I've ever seen a Soulless blush before."

"No, no," said Sycamore. "I uh…I…"

"Just relax," said Fubuki. "I won't hurt you."

"Well I know that," said Sycamore. His heart was slamming against his chest, feeling as if it were going to tear its way out of his ribcage and onto the cushions. Mind had turned into a maelstrom, panicked thoughts whipping around at every turn.

They went silent for a bit, with Sycamore's heart starting to slow. He began to close his eyes a little, narrowing them until two dark shadows obscured his vision at the top and bottom.

"So…" said Sycamore. "Have you…made any plans then? For Lily?"

"My group and I have been talking about it," said Fubuki. "But soon. Very soon. We're going to get an actual grave for her, and of course, a funeral…" Fubuki's breath caught in her throat at the thought. "And…and of course, you're invited…"

"Oh I'll be there," said Sycamore. "For you. I hate seeing you so upset Fubuki, it bothers me to my core."

Sycamore frowned as Fubuki went silent for a moment. Then the massaging stopped as Fubuki pulled her arms away from his back. Concerned, Sycamore sat up, turning to see Fubuki sniffling and rubbing at her eyes. Sycamore slid over to Fubuki and pulled her in for a hug, Fubuki collapsing against him while laying a hand on his chest.

"I'm alright, really," said Fubuki.

"You don't look it," said Sycamore, horrified to see Fubuki in such a state.

Fubuki sniffed, tears spilling out from her eyes.

"It's still…really hard," she said. "I do want to be strong for my group, and for everyone else, but it just hurts…"

"You don't have to go it alone," said Sycamore. "Like Secter and Tatsumaki said, everyone's there for everyone. You don't have to put on a mask, we know that it hurts you, and that's ok. We're here to talk to you, and while it's always going to hurt to have her gone, I think she'd be proud of you for having the strength to accept things and not let them bring you down. I really don't want that to happen, seeing you cry makes me hurt."

"Sycamore…" said Fubuki.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You… You're so nice and kind to me, and I…really appreciate all the support you've been giving me too."

"Of course!" said Sycamore. "You're quite special to me, I want you to be happy. Your happiness is kinda my happiness, to be honest." He chuckled.

Fubuki rubbed at her eyes.

"Is that right…" she said. "And…I think you're right too, Lily wouldn't want me to wallow in despair."

"She wouldn't want that at all," said Sycamore. "And please let me know when you have a date, I'd really want to go. Be there for you and all."

"I will," said Fubuki. She caressed the front of Sycamore's chest, causing Sycamore's brain to go hazy again. Smiling, she looked up at Sycamore with puffy eyes.

"Just a second," said Fubuki. "I'm going to get myself cleaned up real quick."

"Ok," said Sycamore. "I'll be here."

Fubuki got up and left for the bathroom. Sycamore went back to laying on the couch, his body aching again for no apparent reason. After a few minutes, Fubuki came back, grabbing her wine glass and taking a sip before approaching Sycamore. He started to get back up, grunting as he did so, but Fubuki laid a hand on his back, stopping him in his tracks.

"Lay back down," said Fubuki. "I want to keep massaging you."

"Uh, alright," said Sycamore. He looked up at Fubuki.

Her eyes were still slightly red, but the dark trails left on her face from her tears were gone. She smiled down at him.

"Honestly," said Sycamore. "You've got to be sore too right? I feel kinda bad just letting you do this all the time, doesn't it tire you?"

"Not really," said Fubuki. "Though you're right, I am a bit sore from time to time, so maybe if you're feeling up to it…" Fubuki sat down next to Sycamore and leaned her body in close, her head hovering right next to the side of his face. "You can return the favor."

In truth, Fubuki had been feeling alright for most of the day, much of the soreness around her stomach as opposed to her back. However, she had no intention of letting Sycamore know this.

Sycamore swallowed as Fubuki began to massage him again, her fingers running along his spine. She reached up to his shoulders and gripped them, rolling his muscles around in circles as Sycamore let out a pleased exhale.

"Like it?" asked Fubuki.

"Of course," breathed Sycamore.

"Good. I like it too."

Sycamore narrowed his eyes for a second, confused. He felt Fubuki's hands dart down to his sides, massaging the sections right beneath his ribs. A stab of pain ripped right through Sycamore's lower back, and he twitched, yelping.

"Sorry!" said Fubuki. "Sorry, sorry, did it hurt?"

"A little," said Sycamore. "Sensitive…that spot's sensitive…"

"I'll try to be more careful," said Fubuki. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," said Sycamore. "I'm fine, though it is getting a bit late, did you have more plans with your group tonight?"

"No, not really," said Fubuki. "I mean, I guess I could go see them again, but I don't know, I kind of want to stay at least a little longer…"

"Of course!" said Sycamore, beaming. "You can stay as long as you like Fubuki, my door is always open."

"As long as I like huh…" said Fubuki, smirking down at Sycamore.

"Yeah…" said Sycamore, slowly beginning to contemplate what he had just said.

"Sycamore, if I didn't know better…"

"Hmm?" asked Sycamore. He froze stiff when he felt a tiny blast of heat against the back of his neck, Fubuki now hovering over him with her arms pushed against the sides of the couch.

"I'd say you were trying to get me to stay," finished Fubuki.

"Ah," said Sycamore, feeling as if his throat were closing up on him. He tried to push himself up, but Fubuki placed both her hands on his back, slowly pushing him back down into the couch. He was like putty in her hands, and Fubuki smiled as Sycamore nervously quivered underneath her. "Well, I…I'm fine if you stay, really…uh…"

Sycamore glanced around desperately for something to get Fubuki's attention, praying that he could find any other topic to distract from what they were talking about. He fumbled mentally, failing to think of a single thing. Fubuki pushed him further into the couch, sweeping her legs over his as she watched Sycamore struggle internally.

"Sycamore," she said. "Are you uncomfortable with this?"

"No, no," said Sycamore. "I'm fine with you being on top of me-"

Silence. Sycamore wanted to die.

"Is that right?" asked Fubuki, loving the hell out of every second.

"Alright, alright!" said Sycamore. "You know what I meant! I just got flustered, that's all."

"I know, you get kind of nervous around me, don't you?"

"Well yeah, of course I would. You're…"

"I'm what?"

"Well, you know. Very, uh, intimidating, I guess."

"Intimidating?"

"Just…you know…very good looking, and confident…"

"Mmmmm," said Fubuki. She started rubbing Sycamore's shoulders again. "So you're saying that I'm attractive to you?"

"Ah…" said Sycamore. "Yes, yes, that's what I'm saying…" He sighed as he buried his face into the pillow, heat radiating off of his head like a tiny sun.

"Something wrong?" asked Fubuki. "Something you want to talk about?"

"No," said Sycamore.

"It looks like something's wrong."

"I'm fine."

"Is this something about what happened out in the Nothing?" asked Fubuki. "Remember Sycamore, you can always talk to me about all that, you haven't told me much and it really worries me sometimes…"

"No, it's not that," said Sycamore. "And…there wasn't much to tell, most of it was stuff I expected, but I had always worried that people here wouldn't care much if I died up in the Nothing, or that you guys resented me. Though…I can see that's not the case."

"Of course it's not the case!" said Fubuki. "Lot of people here really care about you, myself included!"

"Thanks Fubuki," said Sycamore. "It really does mean a lot."

"But…" said Fubuki. "Am I really making you uncomfortable?"

Sycamore was torn on how to answer. On the one hand, she was scaring him with just how strong she was coming on, but on the other, he didn't want to scare her off. His heart pounded.

"N-no," said Sycamore. "I'm just nervous…you came on fast."

"I've liked you for a little while," said Fubuki. "And I thought it might be fun to, you know, mess around a little."

"Mess around?"

"Yeah, you know. Play with each other a bit. Though you getting all nervous and sputtery…it's kind of cute honestly. I don't know, I like how you just get all melty in my hands. Such a big personality on the outside, yet such a softie on the inside."

Sycamore couldn't help but chuckle at her last line.

"I do have soft spots for some people," said Sycamore. "Especially you, I really like you."

"Mmmm," said Fubuki. "You do huh?"

"I do…" said Sycamore, suddenly getting nervous again. The heat on the back of his neck returned, then vanished as Fubuki craned her head right next to his. She whispered as she began to speak again.

"Then maybe we should develop that," said Fubuki.

_I don't know if I can take this, _thought Sycamore. _She's coming on too strong, too strong, I didn't realize…_

"You're…flirty tonight," said Sycamore. "Did you have too much to drink?"

"Only a couple of glasses of wine," said Fubuki. "Why?"

"The last nights weren't like this…"

"I mean, I did come over with the express purpose of getting your shirt off and rubbing you up and down. So honestly, I feel like there were signs…"

"But…you said it was for the soreness!"

Fubuki laughed, rearing away from Sycamore's face.

"Oh dear," she said. "I mean yes Sycamore, I did want to help with you being in pain, and talk, but did you take a hint? If I really wanted, I could've just sent you to physical therapy or a doctor, they'd do much better than I could."

"Yeah…" said Sycamore. "I just didn't know…didn't know you felt this way…"

"Well, I like you," said Fubuki. "And honestly, I saw what my sis had and wouldn't mind having something like that someday. And I'll be honest, flirting with you is fun."

"Fun?"

"Yes, and it helps me relax, take my mind off things…you're ok with it, aren't you? You did say I was attractive, and that you like me…"

"I…I am…just so fast…"

"Yeah I did come on a little quick, didn't I?" asked Fubuki, smiling. "I thought it might be kind of fun you know, to kinda just go for it and see what would happen…I had been thinking about it for a couple of days, honestly."

"I see…" said Sycamore. "I uh, I'm going to get up for a second."

"Alright," said Fubuki. "Here, let me move out of the way. Oh, and sorry for being on top of you, I'm trying not to fall on your back though."

"It's fine," said Sycamore. "I'm ok." He pulled himself up as Fubuki stood, turning himself into a sitting position. Fubuki reached over and finished off her glass of wine, licking her lips to get the last few drops on her face. Sycamore's leg twitched at the sight, anxiety creeping in.

"So uh," said Sycamore. "Do you want me to do you?"

Fubuki looked over with wide eyes.

"Hmm?" she asked.

_God strike me down, _thought Sycamore.

"Massage you, I meant," said Sycamore, doing his best to keep his face from contorting into an expression of sheer pain.

A smile stretched across Fubuki's face, a hint of deviousness hidden within. She sat down on the couch next to Sycamore after putting her glass down, ruffling the back of her hair. Sycamore started to reach out towards Fubuki's shoulders, but stopped dead short when Fubuki reached behind her back and flicked away at the straps of her dress, starting to pull it down from her arms. The pale skin of her shoulders and upper back became visible to Sycamore, who felt like a statue as Fubuki unraveled the dress further and further down. Balling the front over her chest, Fubuki sighed as she stretched her back out towards Sycamore, the majority of it staring him right in the face. Sycamore gulped, his initial nervousness starting to turn to anger and horror as he spotted a massive brownish bruise spreading like a cut from one end of Fubuki's back to the other.

"What on earth," said Sycamore. "That bruise!"

"Yeah, Silan did that," said Fubuki. "It's gotten better, but still hurts."

"That little…" said Sycamore. "Ugh, thank God he's dead."

"Yes, thank God," said Fubuki. "He can burn in hell for all fucking eternity."

Sycamore sniffed, grabbing hold of her shoulders and rubbing them back and forth. Fubuki let out a sigh.

"That's nice," she said.

"I'll be careful," said Sycamore. "Around the bruise."

"Yeah…" said Fubuki.

Sycamore brushed his fingers down Fubuki's back, caressing her spine. Fubuki muttered something and started to lean back into Sycamore, with Sycamore catching her by the sides. His heart racing, Sycamore began to massage Fubuki again, who closed her eyes as her body moved to the rhythm of Sycamore's hands.

"Oh, and don't let me forget to call Saitama to meet," said Fubuki. "I think he'll still be up."

"I won't," said Sycamore.

"Mmmh, feels nice."

Sycamore sat there, continuing to rub Fubuki's back while she did her best not to fall asleep against his chest. Later that night she called Saitama, who was all too glad to have everyone meet and talk, even at such short notice. After a soft goodbye, Fubuki hung up the phone and returned to the couch to have a glass of wine with Sycamore, the two of them toasting to a full recovery for everyone before drinking as the moon rose outside.


	15. Chapter 15

Tatsumaki's eyes creaked open, the first rays of the morning light shooting out from the blinds. She squinted over at the blinds and within a second, they were shut entirely. The room grew darker, and Tatsumaki smiled as she nestled down further into the bed. She turned to her side, reaching out to pull Secter closer to her body, but stopped when she saw no one was there. Confused, Tatsumaki turned to the other side of the bed to look at the clock.

"Slept too long…" she muttered. "Past ten…"

She grumbled as she laid her head back on the pillow, head sinking into a plushy cloud of softness. Wanting to fall asleep again, Tatsumaki found the task difficult as her stomach growled at her. Tatsumaki slid further down into the bed, but turned when she heard the door open.

In came Secter, holding a tray adorned with food and drink. Tatsumaki stared at the assortment, shocked to see Secter arrive with so much food. Her mouth started to water. Waffles. Bacon. Stacks of pancakes. Orange juice and iced water. There were even a couple of cups of coffee on the side. This was just one of the many reasons why Tatsumaki loved this man.

"Oh my God," said Tatsumaki. "Secter, you made all this?"

"Yep!" said Secter. "Figured it'd be a nice start to the morning. Had to wait a bit though, since you were still asleep when I checked earlier, so hopefully nothing's too cold by now."

"Gimme," said Tatsumaki, reaching her arms out.

Secter smiled and shook his head, walking over with the tray. On each side of the tray were two stubby bronze legs, which Secter pushed into the bed as he set the tray over Tatsumaki's body. He looked over at her only to realize that she was still reaching out.

"Oh," said Secter, chuckling. He lowered himself down to let Tatsumaki wrap her arms around her back, pushing him into her. She kissed him right on the lips, making out with him for a few seconds as Secter tried not to smile too much. He kissed her back, his whole chest turning warm.

Secter took his head away and Tatsumaki kissed him on the cheek right before he got too far, Secter flashing her a devious little smile before walking to the other side of the bed. He clambered in, wrapping Tatsumaki up in his arms and planting a kiss on her cheek. She sighed as she laid against him.

"Bon appétit," said Secter. "Help yourself to whatever, I snacked a bit on the waffles earlier so you get first dibs."

"Mmm it smells so good," said Tatsumaki. She reached over and grabbed a fork off of the plate. Digging into the waffles, she pulled a piece into her mouth and chowed down. "Ah, it's amazing. Thank you Secter, you're the fucking best."

"No problem," said Secter, happiness radiating from his expression. "Imma have me some coffee." He reached over and grabbed one of the mugs, a pale ceramic cup that was warm to the touch. Sipping the coffee, he sighed and set it back down, content.

"Secter," said Tatsumaki, with a mouthful of waffle. "There's so much food here."

"Yeah, I might've gone a bit overboard. But hey, that's what leftovers are for right?"

"Mmph," said Tatsumaki. "This'll last us for a while."

"That was the plan," said Secter. "Ah, I gotta have some more of those pancakes though."

The two of them chipped away at the smorgasbord of food, managing to finish only about a quarter of it before feeling too full to continue on. Secter embraced Tatsumaki, clutching at her back as she curled up into him.

"Ah, it's so nice…" said Tatsumaki. "So nice to have this all back…"

"I missed it so damned much," said Secter.

"I'm just so happy when I'm with you. All the time."

Secter smiled from ear to ear.

"Me too Tatsu, me too."

Secter felt Tatsumaki scratch underneath his armpits, doing little more than irritate his skin. He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Are you ticklish, Secter?" asked Tatsumaki with a tiny smile on her face. She started scratching faster, which only made Secter smirk at her.

"Nope," he said. "Not even a bit."

"I'll bet you are," said Tatsumaki. "Just have to find the right spot…"

She went for his stomach next, but got nothing. Huffing, Tatsumaki tried the back of his neck, to which Secter just shook his head, still smiling.

"Told you," said Secter. "I'm not-"

Tatsumaki found the small of Secter's back, and his eyes widened. He pushed himself into her to try and get away from her hands, but Tatsumaki just brought her fingers in and kept tickling him. Secter chuckled, contorting at her touch.

"Stop that!" he said. "Stop that right now."

"I knew it," said Tatsumaki. "I could tell."

"What do you mean you could tell?" asked Secter. "How did you-" He chortled as Tatsumaki tickled him harder, struggling to contain his laughter as he spoke.

"Sometimes I can just tell stuff with you," said Tatsumaki. "I know you too well."

"You can't just…you can't just guess that stuff…it's the same with you saying…you could tell I was lying! Way back when!"

"Well, I can," said Tatsumaki. "It's easy."

"No…you can't…stop tickling me…"

"All I have to do is say that, and if you get all indignant, then you're lying."

"That…makes no sense!" said Secter, shocked at just how much the spot on his back tickled him. "Alright, that's it, come here."

"No!" said Tatsumaki as Secter swept her up in his arms and started tickling her back. She burst out laughing as he snuck his hands under her arms, tickling away. She tried to fight back, reaching out to get at his spine again, but it proved too difficult a task as she writhed and curled up under Secter's tickling.

"Stop!" she said, laughing. "Enough!"

"Well well well," said Secter. "Look who's the ticklish one now eh?"

"No more!"

"What if I got your shirt off, would you be more ticklish then?"

"You do that, and I'll kick you," said Tatsumaki. "I swear, I will kick you."

Secter reached down to the front of Tatsumaki's pajama shirt and unbuttoned the top button, Tatsumaki's lithe form wriggling underneath him.

"That's one," said Secter. Tatsumaki's collarbone was visible now, and Secter leaned down to kiss it.

"You can kiss me," said Tatsumaki. "You can even undress me, but I swear to God Secter, if you try and tickle me again…"

"Hey, you started it," said Secter. He reached down further and unbuttoned the second one, his hands drifting against the fuzzy blue shirt Tatsumaki had on. Her breathing turned heavy as Secter undid more of the buttons on her shirt, until her stomach and chest were completely visible in a canyon of fabric showing off her torso. A black bra was strapped across her chest, and Secter leaned over and kissed Tatsumaki on the mouth as he placed a hand on her stomach. Tatsumaki grinned in-between kisses, Secter pulling in and out from her lips as Tatsumaki tried to speak.

"Don't…" said Tatsumaki. "Do…it. Don't."

"I won't," said Secter.

"Seriously," said Tatsumaki. "I'll kick, and then there'll be food everywhere."

"Shit, you're right," said Secter. "Should've moved the tray…" He glanced back at the tray with the half-finished meals on it, before looking back over to Tatsumaki with love in his eyes. "Eh, they can wait."

They went back to kissing, and Secter slowly pushed his hand down towards Tatsumaki's waist. Tatsumaki grasped his wrist like a snake would attack its prey and slid Secter's hand down into her pajama pants past her underwear. The fabric of her underwear against the back of his hand, Secter kept going until he was between her legs. Then he started to rub gently, with an occasional soft pinch. Tatsumaki twitched and gasped, snatching the back of Secter's head and pulling him in to kiss him as hard as she could. As she did so, Secter began to rub faster, still a slow motion down behind her underwear, but enough to make her pants move along with his hand. Tatsumaki planted one hand behind Secter's back, lowering it until she found the edge of his shirt. Tearing it upwards, Secter pulled his hand out from her pants so that Tatsumaki could fling his shirt over his head and toss it over the side of the bed. Before the shirt had even landed, Secter's hand was back where it had started, and Tatsumaki kept Secter's face firmly where she wanted it to belong, smashed right into hers.

Tatsumaki ruffled Secter's hair, kissing him so hard that her face started to hurt around her cheeks. But it didn't matter to her, she kept going even as her chest started to turn warm and legs became like jelly. They were in love, and Tatsumaki rubbed her thighs against Secter's hand, shivering with pleasure.

"Ahhh…" said Tatsumaki. "Right there, right there Secter…"

"Mmm," said Secter, pushing his lips right back onto Tatsumaki's.

Tatsumaki began to writhe and twitch, curling her legs up under the tray and smacking the bottom of it. Annoyed, she kicked the tray further down the bed, having to try it a couple of times before she could get it far enough away so that it wouldn't be an issue anymore. Secter pinched her clitorus and started rolling his fingers back and forth, and Tatsumaki felt herself getting ready to explode.

"Yes!" said Tatsumaki. "Like that!"

"Getting better at this, eh?" asked Secter as he kissed her on the cheek, leaving a mess as he went.

"You…you are," said Tatsumaki, squeezing her legs together to trap Secter's hand between them. "Please don't stop, just keep doing that, just keep going."

Secter obliged, pinching and squeezing and rubbing Tatsumaki until he felt her legs quivering and something wet begin to drench his fingers. Even then, he kept going.

Tatsumaki's mouth had dropped open and she banged her head against the backboard, letting out a tiny exhale as she stretched herself against the end of the bed.

"Ah…" said Tatsumaki. "Ohhh…"

Secter rubbed his other hand along Tatsumaki's ribs, not being able to get enough of her body. Tatsumaki managed to look down at him, pulling both her arms behind her back to undo her bra as Secter started to rub a bit closer to her waistline. He reached his destination and pinched while rubbing up and down.

Tatsumaki moaned, a soft and prolonged sound. She leaned into Secter, her bra slipping off of her chest as she reached around Secter's back.

"Agh…" she said. "Ohhh, fuck me."

"Well, if you ask nicely," said Secter.

Tatsumaki looked up at Secter with narrowed eyes and a tiny smile. Her heart was pounding so hard that the sound reverberated into her ears.

"You…fuckin dork," she said. "Lay down, I'm going to make you lose your fucking mind."

Secter grinned at her, taking his hand out from her pants.

"Is that right," said Secter.

"I want you inside me," said Tatsumaki. "Right now. Come on, get those pants off."

"Holy shit," said Secter. He reached down and pulled his pants down, grasping at his underwear. Tatsumaki heard her phone go off at the nightstand and crawled over to look, seeing a message from her sister. Picking up the phone, she read the message and smiled before setting the device back down and leaping into Secter as he tossed his pants over the edge of the bed. She giggled at him as he smiled down at her.

"You better hurry," said Tatsumaki. "Looks like we got stuff to do today, Saitama's okayed everybody going to his place for lunch."

"Well shit," said Secter. "Guess we better make this quick."

"We don't _have _to…"

Secter placed a hand on Tatsumaki's pants right where it had been before, feeling the fabric within his fingers. He drove another one up Tatsumaki's chest as he leaned down and kissed her on the shoulder, while Tatsumaki brushed her lips against his cheek and grabbed the edge of his underwear. He felt warm all over, passionate for Tatsumaki and wanting nothing more than to make her feel loved.

"Say something dirty Secter," said Tatsumaki.

Secter chuckled against Tatsumaki's shoulder.

"Come on," said Tatsumaki, smirking. "I'll bet you're better at it than you think."

"You think so?" asked Secter. Tatsumaki grunted as she wriggled his underwear off, Secter stretching his legs out so that she could pull them all the way down. Tatsumaki fell back on the bed and raised his underwear in the air before throwing it over the side. She spread herself out, her entire chest visible with her shirt hanging loosely over her arms. Secter crawled over her and leaned down to kiss her on the lips before drawing back again.

"Well?" asked Tatsumaki. "Come on, say something _hot_ Secter. You're already hot as hell, I want to _hear_ you say how much you want me."

_She's so much more comfortable with all this now, _thought Secter. _Ah God and she's adorable too. Love ya Tatsu. _

"Tatsu…" said Secter. "I want to fuck you senseless, I want to kiss every inch of your body and lick you until you cum for me. Then…"

He leaned down until he could whisper to her.

"Then you get on top," said Secter. "Do whatever you want to me. I'm all yours."

Tatsumaki smirked up at him. Secter ran his hands along her sides, prompting Tatsumaki to arch her back and stretch her body out towards him. Secter kissed her on the chest, right between her breasts.

"I want every part of you," said Secter. "Because I love you more than anything, you're the greatest thing in the world to me. I want to make you feel loved."

"You're just being a cutie now," said Tatsumaki, smiling. "You always bring it back to the romantic talk, you're just geared that way."

"Guess I have a lot of love to give," said Secter.

Tatsumaki leaned up, pressing her half-naked body against Secter's chest.

"Then give it to me," she whispered.

Secter shuddered as Tatsumaki breath billowed around his cheek.

"You…" said Secter. "Wow, Tatsu, you've gotten really good at this. Like, _really _good."

"I like turning you on," said Tatsumaki. "And I like getting you all flustered and melty." Tatsumaki pushed her lower half up, bumping into Secter's legs and waist. "Mmm, feels like someone's excited…"

Secter rolled his eyes. Chuckling, Tatsumaki latched onto Secter and pulled him down, rolling him until he was laying flat on the bed. Her gaze heavy, she pulled her pants and underwear down, Secter watching as she tossed wriggled the underwear off of her feet, a dark spot in the middle from Secter's actions earlier. With a smirk on her face, Tatsumaki lunged at Secter, grabbing both of his arms and pulling them back over his head. Secter felt his head go woozy at the sight of Tatsumaki stretching her slender body over his chest, her breasts flattening out against her chest. His legs were numb, and he was completely erect as Tatsumaki started to lower herself onto him.

"Tatsu," said Secter. "You are seriously the hottest person alive."

"I know," said Tatsumaki, winking at him.

She thrust herself down onto him, her waist colliding against his. Secter felt little shivers of pain from his old wounds, wincing a bit. Tatsumaki raised herself up, holding one hand to a giant pale scar on her stomach.

"Alright, not as fast," she said.

"Yep, yep, not as fast," said Secter.

She lowered herself more slowly over Secter, the two of them kissing passionately as she did so. Over time she sped up a bit, both their hearts racing as they made love over the afternoon. By the time they were done, both of them sat next to each other at the end of the bed. Tatsumaki's hair was a tangled mess from Secter running his hands through it and from her sleeping earlier, while Secter's was ruffled and jagged from Tatsumaki grasping at his head.

"You know, I think I noticed something," said Tatsumaki. "At least I think."

"What's that?" asked Secter.

"I think you're…like more of a slow dancer, while I can slow dance but sometimes want to speed it up."

"You mean…"

"Yeah like, you're a more romantic type of person, who takes sex a bit slower, and me, I like this too, but sometimes I go like…I don't know, full speed I guess. I don't know, it just seemed to take you by surprise."

"Honestly it still surprises me sometimes, how comfortable you are with sexy talk and with sex itself. I should probably just stop being surprised, but you're just too damned good at it. Catches me off guard, makes me go 'whoa, I need to step up my game."

Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around her body, smiling and giggling over at Secter.

"Really?" she asked. "You really think that?"

"Honestly sometimes yeah," said Secter, stretching out against the end of the bed. "Reminds me that I too am not perfect at it, but obviously I want to get better."

"You were perfect," said Tatsumaki. "The talking thing…trust me, it's so…it's so _you_. And I love it, I really do, you're so fucking sweet and cute and endearing all the time, everything you say you do to make me feel amazing, to understand me as a person and let me know how special I am to you."

Secter's face flushed, pride welling in his heart.

"I really, really love you Tatsu," said Secter. "And I want to let you know that every time that I can. It's pretty much impossible for me to capture how I really feel about you in words, but I'm sure as hell going to try."

Tatsumaki clung to Secter's side, the two of them laying naked on the bed together. She traced a tiny scar along his neck while Secter gazed down at the big one on her stomach.

"And about the sex thing," said Secter. "You speeding up or something, I honestly think that's just you being passionate. You get really into it, and sometimes it takes me off guard I think, but obviously I want to be just as passionate as you are."

"I mean you started the whole thing," Tatsumaki chuckled. "By feeling me up. I could see how much you wanted me, trust me, I _know_ how passionate you are for me, how attracted you are to me, I don't doubt that anymore."

"Good," Secter breathed. "Good. Because fuck Tatsu, when you were on top of me like that, ah man, I don't think I've ever witnessed anything sexier in my life."

"Mmm, you liked that eh," said Tatsumaki. "When I pinned you down."

"Well, you taking control was…it was kind of hot, I won't lie." Secter shrugged. "Seeing you so confident and sexy above me, ah man. Really a turn on. I like seeing you confident."

"Maybe we should try some more stuff then," said Tatsumaki. "Hopefully my body will actually let me and not get so sore next time."

"Yeah same here," said Secter. "And we can talk about it, guess it kinda depends on what stuff you mean."

"You'll see…" said Tatsumaki, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Oh boy," said Secter. "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about…then maybe. Depends on how far you want to go, I wouldn't mind trying it from both angles honestly…"

"We'll talk about it," said Tatsumaki. "But if we do do it, I want to be the one in control first."

Secter just chuckled, shaking his head. He had to admit, he liked it.

They cuddled one another on the sheets, Tatsumaki taking in all the warmth she could get from Secter and Secter caressing her back and side.

"Think we've gotten pretty good at this," said Secter. "Both happy, both satisfied, both really enjoyed ourselves…"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "I'm really glad that we got to develop this, and that it was with you of all people."

"Mmhmm," said Secter. He smiled over at Tatsumaki before pointing at her nose. "You know what we did fuck up though?"

Tatsumaki looked down to her feet as she contemplated. Then it hit her.

"Towel," she said. "Oh my God."

"Yep!" said Secter, ripping his hand away from pointing at Tatsumaki's face and pulling it over his neck.

"Which means…I'm probably going to have to wash sheets…"

"Prooobably yeah."

"I'm making this your job from now on," said Tatsumaki. "You're the Towel Master."

"Fine," said Secter. "But in exchange, you gotta make sure the towel gets cleaned after we're done."

"Deal," said Tatsumaki. "Twenty bucks you'll forget next time we have sex."

"You're on," said Secter. "Also uh, shouldn't we be getting ready for Saitama's place?"

Tatsumaki's eyes widened. She put a hand on her chest. Quickly, she looked up at the alarm clock in the corner.

"Fuck," she said. "Fuck, fuck, we need to get ready, like, _now_."

"Alright, alright," said Secter, starting to get up as Tatsumaki leapt from the bed and over some discarded clothes.

"Come on!" she said. "Let's go, into the shower!"

"Ok ok," said Secter. "What on earth, the food's still on the bed."

Secter motioned to the tray, somehow undisturbed despite the two's prior activities.

"Leave it for now," said Tatsumaki, walking backwards into the bathroom. "Come on! We'll shower together, then get ready fast as we can."

"Coming," said Secter, scratching the back of his head as he followed Tatsumaki into the bathroom. She closed the door behind them.

. . .

Tatsumaki watched as Saitama's door opened, and unsurprising to her, everyone else who had been at the camp as well as Sycamore were already inside, chatting or sitting around. She flashed a brief smile over at Saitama while holding Secter's arm beside her. Saitama waved at them both.

"Come on in," said Saitama. "Kinda crowded in here, as per usual, but we got chips and dip, and games, and some other stuff."

"Sounds…nice," said Tatsumaki. "Secter let's head in."

"Right behind you," said Secter.

Saitama moved out of the way as the two of them entered the house. The first to greet them were Sycamore and Fubuki, with Sycamore grunting as he rose from the couch. Tatsumaki spotted a few clear bowls of colorful layers of dip, along with a couple of opened bags of chips on the kitchen table.

"Hey guys," said Sycamore, a crooked little smile on his face.

"Hi sis," said Fubuki, stretching her arms to her sides for a hug. The tips of her fingers brushed against King's back as she did so, with the group packed tight within Saitama's home. "Hi Secter."

"Hi sis," said Tatsumaki, stepping into Fubuki's arms and hugging her tight. The two of them swayed from side to side as they embraced. Separating, Tatsumaki looked over at the rest of the group, who were watching Secter and her as they moved closer to the living room.

"Saved you a spot on the couch," said Sycamore. He shuffled over to the edge of the couch and patted the center of it, his face contorting in pain as he walked. Setting himself down, he watched as Tatsumaki and Secter took the spots in the middle, with Fubuki sitting on the far end.

"How are you guys holding up?" asked Saitama as he glanced at the television screen, which displayed a reporter talking about reconstruction efforts in the midst of downtown.

"Was going to ask you all the same thing," said Secter. "But we're…" He looked over at Tatsumaki, who gave him a small smile. "We're good. Talked about some things, since there's a lot to talk about."

"Yeah," said Saitama. He frowned over at the television when an image of a gathering group of people with signs was featured prominently over the news program. Giving Genos a circling hand gesture, Genos rose from his seat behind the couch, grabbed the remote, and shut the tv off.

"See you got your limbs back," said Secter.

"Yeah, thankfully Kuseno was ok," said Saitama. "He's already helping with building stuff."

King, Metal Bat, and Saitama approached the couch, while Garou leaned against the wall over by Bang, his hair as bristly as the old man's.

"How are you all holding up?" asked Secter.

"Been alright…" said King. "Actually, people keep asking me why I didn't beat those Soulless myself, and when I tell them that I couldn't…it just makes them more afraid of course."

"Of course you couldn't," said Genos. "Those creatures could defeat Saitama…"

"Well yes," said King. "But you have to remember, the public doesn't really know…how strong Saitama is, and my strength. What I was more worried about is how it might impact Sycamore, or even Viskel and Vastal, I'd like for them to be remembered more as heroes than as villains."

"We're gonna need to get the story out there," said Metal Bat. "Heard Mumen's old group was doing a thing, good for them to get to work so fast."

"Yes, they meet again later this evening," said Fubuki. "Everyone should come, they're doing very good work."

"I'd recommend it," said Bang. "I went to a meeting myself, I'm extremely proud of everyone there."

"Heh," muttered Garou, prompting a sharp look from Bang.

"What is it?" asked Bang.

"What King said," said Garou. "People are going to hate on Sycamore now, aren't they?"

Sycamore groaned as he slid into his seat. Fubuki wished she were next to him, to hold him close, make him feel not as alone.

"If they do," said Bang. "Then it's out of blind fear, not reasoning."

"People are gonna be afraid for a while," said Saitama. "It sucks, because we all saw what Sycamore did for us."

"He fought Silan's gang when they first got here too!" said Fubuki. "And nearly died because of it. Not to mention all that he went through in the Nothing."

"Yeah, and I know it's a shitty thing," said Garou. "How damned unfair it is…"

_Though… _thought Garou. _Those powers of the Soulless, disgustingly strong, far beyond what anyone here might ever be able to do…I wonder how someone like Secter became as strong as them, he's not a Soulless I don't think…_

"We're going to figure it out Sycamore," said Secter. "Don't worry. For now, you stick with us, ignore the people who just fear you out of ignorance."

"I'll try," said Sycamore. "And I can't say I blame them…but it still hurts, even just a bit…" He cast his gaze at the floor. Fubuki felt like screaming.

"Sis, can I switch seats with you?" asked Fubuki.

Tatsumaki pursed her lips over at Fubuki before getting up, the two of them passing each other in front of the couch. Fubuki collapsed down by Sycamore and grabbed him by the forearm, rubbing it up and down as Sycamore grew stiff in his seat. Tatsumaki watched with suspicion rocketing through the roof.

"Ah we'll get the word out," said Saitama. "But for now, I guess we focus on us. Anybody's welcome to talk, normally I'm not the one who's so good at this, but I think it'd be good for everybody. Also there's still plenty of snacks if anyone wants some…"

"How about you Bang?" asked Secter. "How are you holding up?"

"I've just gone back to the dojo," said Bang. "Perhaps with a new student…" He eyed Garou, who shook his head at him. Chuckling, Bang rubbed his mustache for a second. His face went dark as he finished his laughter, shadows casting over his wrinkles to form a crisscross of abysses over his forehead. "However…that camp disturbed me deeply. Not just for the sheer savagery, and indifference, and hatred on the part of those Soulless…but the fact that you Secter, and even more so you Sycamore, had to deal with them. Sycamore, you must've had to deal with them for so long…"

"Why do you think I was so eager to be here?" asked Sycamore. "When I first got here, so eager to establish myself as more…"

"We didn't see what happened up there," said Metal Bat. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"Mainly just a bunch of people trying to kill each other," said Sycamore.

"Yeah…" said Secter. "Lot of sad, desperate, lonely people. What gets me is that…most of them seemed to be searching for some kind of purpose, whether it was getting out, or joining a gang, or trying to make the pain go away, and yet…almost all of them seemed so ready to just _give up_. Like they had just accepted that the end was nigh, and that even though there might be a way out, they didn't really care anymore, because there was no point either way. I don't know, it's hard to explain really…"

"I can only imagine…" said Bang.

Tatsumaki leaned her head against Secter. Tiredness was overtaking her again.

"Yeah…" said Tatsumaki. "Saw that even with the people who helped us…Vastal, Viskel, Koros…they all seemed pretty used to this stuff."

"Hell, I'm used to fighting," said Metal Bat. "What these guys are used to is _death_."

Sycamore slid down further into his seat.

"Yes…" he said. "We are…you've seen a bit of our world now…"

"Our?" asked Garou. "That's had me wondering, how did Secter get strong enough to fight Soulless?"

"Complicated process," said Sycamore. "Don't try and mess with it, you need someone who knows how to do it properly, a Soulless willing to volunteer, and usually certain kinds of people so that the process goes well. Most die."

"Process…" said Garou.

"Why are you asking about this?" asked Sycamore, narrowing his eyes over at Garou.

"Well, if we could get as powerful as the Soulless…" said Garou. He lowered his arms to his sides, before pushing himself off from the wall and standing over by Saitama. Crossing his arms, he smiled. "Think about it. We get some heroes as strong as Soulless, and this cools the populace down because they trust us. We won't have to worry about a Soulless invasion again, because we'll have more people ready! And with that one guy running off, it could still be a concern…"

"Do you have any Soulless to complete the process with?" asked Sycamore. "Because the Soulless dies after absorption. And do you have someone who knows how to actually do absorption? No, you don't. Not to mention, I think back when I was in the military I heard that the death rate for people trying to absorb Soulless was somewhere around ninety-eight percent, plus the process itself is grueling…"

"Just an idea…" Garou muttered before sliding back to his wall. Bang placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand your ambition," said Bang. "But now's not the time or the place…"

"Sorry if I seemed annoyed," said Sycamore. "Just…kind of sick of all the old Soulless crap, I suppose. Don't really like the idea of putting anyone through absorption, it seemed awful…"

"Yeah, it's painful," said Secter. "They say those who are more able to tolerate and soldier on through various types of pain are more likely to complete the process, but who knows. And hell, that was a long time ago, and not something I'd want anyone to have to go through…"

"We'll leave it for now," said Saitama. "Being as strong as those guys could help if more of them came though, but who knows if it'll happen or not."

"Being strong…" said Genos.

Saitama glanced over at Genos, the sunlight reflecting off of his pale head.

"Huh Genos?" asked Saitama.

"I was just thinking," said Genos. "During all that time in the camp, I felt so useless, and to see you, especially you, fall…I thought that all we had done was for nothing."

"No…" said Saitama. "We-"

"However," said Genos, tilting his head upwards to look at the group. "And I've wanted to say this to you all…you have shown me another side of strength."

Saitama started to smile, his cheeks tugging back.

"I…" said Genos. "Cannot rely on always getting stronger physically, there is a mental component. One which will not defeat monsters alone, but would put one in a better mindset…"

Genos glanced over at Tatsumaki, who was peering at him from over the back of the couch.

"Tatsumaki," said Genos. "When you stood up to Silan, despite the fact that he could've destroyed you, what did you feel?"

"I felt…" said Tatsumaki. "Fear, of course. I knew he could destroy me Genos, but the point was to stand up for what was right, to inspire you all…you probably were all afraid for me too, but I knew if I just sat down, if we all just sat down…we'd be no better than Vastal just watching us, or Viskel twiddling his thumbs when Silan got angry. I had to stand up, not just to show that we could still have hope and wouldn't fall to Silan's games, but also to try and get Vastal and Viskel to finally stand up as well. I knew they still had humanity in them."

"Yes," said Genos. "Humanity…I had always been focused on getting more powerful, but even that is not enough. Perhaps…I was also inspired by you, even when I was at my lowest. Perhaps…that is what is also needed to be a true hero. I was laying there, so helpless, and yet when you spoke, even though those more powerful than you had been knocked aside, I still felt…strong."

"Now you're getting it Genos!" said Saitama, jabbing a finger over at him. "Being a hero isn't just about being powerful, it's for standing up for what's right and helping others even when you know you might not win. I think you kinda knew this before, but Tats solidified it for you. She was really the most heroic of all of us, Secter, you should be extremely proud of her."

"Oh believe me I am," said Secter, beaming. "I told you all she's one of the strongest people I know, she's amazing, really."

"She's my sister," said Fubuki, ripping Tatsumaki into her arms and hugging her tight. Tatsumaki's cheeks were puffed up from being smashed against Fubuki's neck. "We're all so proud of her."

"Yes," said Bang, closing his eyes as he smiled over at Tatsumaki. "If not for you, Miss Tatsumaki, I don't know if any of us would be here."

"It's nothing," said Tatsumaki. "Really guys. But…thanks, guys really, it means a lot."

"Trust me I really owe it to ya," said Metal Bat. "And Secter and Sycamore too. Without you guys…who knows what would've happened to me and Zenko."

"How's she doing?" asked Fubuki, turning away from her smooshed sister.

"She's alright," said Metal Bat. "Little more cautious than before, but just the other day she yelled at someone who was screaming about how Sycamore was dangerous or somethin. So proud of her."

"Tell her I said thanks," said Sycamore, a weak smile spreading across his face.

"Think she even still has that notebook you signed," said Metal Bat. "I tell her you're cool."

Sycamore raised an arm to his mouth, hiding the lower half of his face in the crux of his elbow. He laughed into it.

"Thanks," said Sycamore. "I try."

Secter looked around the room. Everyone still seemed kind of tired, but there was an optimism in the air, perhaps one fostered by Tatsumaki not too long ago, that they could get through this. That they had been through rough times, even before Silan, but with people there to support them, and with their own spirits, they could pull through. Secter was overjoyed to be a part of it, basking in the warm glow of everyone ready to heal.

"There is one thing," said King. "And it's hard for me to tell…"

"Go on King," said Tatsumaki, grumbling through Fubuki's shoulder as Fubuki laid a hand on the back of her neck.

"I didn't know if you were all expecting me to fight the Soulless," said King. "Because the truth is…"

"No one expected that," said Genos. "Even Saitama was defeated."

"But I'm not really that strong," said King. "Hardly strong at all…"

"You came back to fight Silan, didn't you?" asked Tatsumaki. "You seem plenty strong to me."

King blinked over at Tatsumaki, not sure what to make of what she had just said. Sighing, he pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded.

"I see," he said. "I think I understand now." He turned and walked back over to the kitchen table to fetch him some chips and dip. Rubbing a hand through the back of his hair, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Everyone seems to be doing better than I thought," said Secter. "It's nice to see, really."

"Yeah," said Saitama. "That was all…rough, but we gotta keep moving for the stuff ahead. Doesn't mean we can't talk and all, but I think with Tatsumaki having inspired us and all, and you two managing to take Silan down, and everyone focusing on rebuilding…I think we're gonna be ok honestly, I think we're gonna be ok."

Secter leaned over and hugged Tatsumaki's front while Fubuki held her from the back, the two of them squeezing her into a human sandwich. Tatsumaki pushed her head out from between the two of them. Bang chuckled in the background.

"Guys, I love you two," said Tatsumaki. "But you're crushing me."

Secter withdrew from Tatsumaki, sliding his hands across her sides as he left.

"You're quite affectionate with her Secter," said Bang. "Ah, to be young again…"

Secter felt his face start to turn red, and he wondered why the hell he still did that.

The group began to split apart, with Metal Bat and Garou heading over to the snacks and fighting over a bag of tortilla chips. Bang chastised the two as they almost ripped the bag in half, while King watched them squabble with narrowed eyes. Saitama went over to Genos, smiling and patting him on the back while the two talked. Fubuki started to realize something and leaned over her sister's head to her ear.

"Sis," said Fubuki. "There's something I want to talk to you about, in private."

"Hmm?" asked Tatsumaki. "Something wrong?"

"Not exactly," said Fubuki. "But I'd…like to hear your thoughts on something."

"Uh, ok," said Tatsumaki.

"Let's go over by the bathroom," said Fubuki. "In the hall."

Fubuki rose from the couch, Sycamore glancing up at her. She left through the kitchen, with Tatsumaki walking behind her. When they made it over to the hallway by the bathroom, out of sight from the rest of the kitchen and the living area, Fubuki glanced over to make sure no one was following them. Nobody in sight. She grinned and looked down at Tatsumaki, who gave her an odd stare through narrowed eyes.

"So," said Fubuki. "You knoooow how I've been visiting Sycamore these past few nights?"

"Uh," said Tatsumaki. "Yeah, I think you've told me."

"And that I was giving him massages from time to time."

Tatsumaki wasn't sure if she liked what she was hearing. A single step forward could be too far.

"Is that right…" said Tatsumaki. "Sis…"

"Well," said Fubuki. "I decided to flirt with him a little last night."

Tatsumaki's eyes widened.

"You did?" she asked. "Really? I knew that you liked him, but didn't know that you liked him _that _much."

"He's a real sweetheart," said Fubuki. "And how excited he gets over making me happy is really cute."

"Hmm," said Tatsumaki, smiling up at her sister. "Well, how did it go?"

"Well…" said Fubuki. "I'm worried I might've made him nervous, he's pretty anxious when it comes to physical touch and flirting. Which I won't lie, was also kind of cute. I might've gotten a bit pushy though…"

"Oh no."

"Yeah…I worry that I might've crossed some boundaries…"

"Uhhhhh." Tatsumaki craned her head back, recoiling from her sister.

"Oh, it was nothing that crazy," said Fubuki waving Tatsumaki off. "I just, you know, massaged him a little, did some flirty little things like whisper in his ear…"

"You what?" asked Tatsumaki, her chest shaking as she started to chuckle softly. "Wow sis, you move in fast, don't you?"

"Did I?" asked Fubuki. She raised a hand to her mouth in horror. "You think I made him too nervous?"

"I mean I don't know, did he say he was uncomfortable?"

"Well I asked him and he said no, but he kinda fumbled his words a bit and was definitely nervous. I…I think he might've liked it, but was just too shocked to really comprehend what was going on. I'm asking you sis, because you've got such a good relationship with Secter, it's really enviable to be honest, and I thought you'd have some good advice."

Tatsumaki wrapped her arms around her sides, her ribs hurting from quiet laughter. She leaned against the wall.

"Ah, well thanks sis," said Tatsumaki. "And look at you, going to me for advice."

"Well," said Fubuki. "I…kind of want what you and Secter have. I can just see it every time you look at each other, the love pouring out of your eyes, how affectionate you two are with each other. I want somebody to share that kind of love with. It'd be…it'd be really nice."

"Aww," said Tatsumaki. "Sis."

"I know," said Fubuki. "And I swear I'm not jealous, I just…figured I'd put myself out there for someone I liked, and I kind of liked his reaction even though I'm a bit worried…"

"Sounds like something you need to talk about with him," said Tatsumaki. "I don't know how he felt about the whole thing, but I'll bet he likes you back. I've seen how he acts around you, you make him happy to be alive."

Fubuki smiled something big, happiness shining from her eyes.

"You're right," said Fubuki. "I should ask him, maybe push a little more…"

"Only if he's comfortable sis," said Tatsumaki. "You're going into this a little fast."

"Right, right. Respect boundaries."

"Exactly."

"Like…you and Secter, you two respect the hell out of each other."

"Well of course we do," said Tatsumaki, placing her hands on her hips. "We understand each other and I don't know, we just mesh well. I know what he wants and he knows what I want and when."

Fubuki winked at Tatsumaki.

"I see what you mean," she said.

"Oh God," said Tatsumaki. "Stop."

It was Fubuki's turn to laugh, raising a hand over her mouth so as not to attract attention.

"Ugh," said Tatsumaki. "And just…look, had Secter been pushier with me when we were first starting our relationship, or vice versa, I think either of us would've said something. And we would've understood the other and backed off. I…I don't know if Sycamore would have the courage to say that with you though, that's what worries me."

"Well I won't get that pushy!" said Fubuki. She glanced up in panic as if her words had brought a visitor, but she saw no one. "I'll…I'll flirt and all, but I won't go nuts."

"You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"It was nice, I won't lie. The whole thing, fun and cute."

"Hmm. I will say though, I am kind of surprised…"

"About what?"

"Well, I don't mean to disparage Sycamore, because…I can kind of understand and even relate, but he's…well, he looks different. He's not human."

"I know," said Fubuki. "He…does have kind of a frightening appearance, but I don't know, it's grown on me. His smile, his expression when he gets all happy, how confident he can be…maybe it's odd, because we just got away from a bunch of Soulless that I despised. But I don't see him that way, he just looks…_different_ to me."

"So you're ok with how he looks?"

"I am. He's cute in his own way."

"Hmm," said Tatsumaki, raising a hand to her chin and rubbing away. "That's good sis, and sweet. But if you want to go for him, then go for it. I think he's a great person and would be really good for you."

"I hope so," said Fubuki. "I'd like to have a relationship as great as the one you have with Secter."

Tatsumaki smirked up at Fubuki, smug.

"You sound a little jealous…" said Tatsumaki.

"Well," said Fubuki. "Like I said, what you have is to be envied. I've watched you two grow and change, and well, I'd like someone to grow with too."

"Yeah, I hear you. Secter's amazing, I'm beyond lucky to have found him, and I am thankful for every day I have with him. So if you think you can find something similar with Sycamore…I'd say go for it. I approve."

Fubuki snickered, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door.

"You approve huh," said Fubuki.

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki, shrugging. "You're still my sister, I still want what's best for you."

"Aww," said Fubuki, pushing away from the wall and stretching her arms out. "Come here."

Tatsumaki hid a smile by looking at the floor but stepped into Fubuki's arms, hugging her again in the hall.

"You're the best sister anyone could ask for," said Fubuki.

"You…you too," said Tatsumaki, feeling her throat start to close up.

"You've become so supportive, and are always out for me, and want me to be happy…"

"Thanks Fubuki…" said Tatsumaki. "Ugh, I'm going to cry again aren't I? Been crying so much lately…"

Tatsumaki buried her head into her sister's stomach, the both of them brimming with happiness as they embraced.

. . .

Sycamore watched Fubuki leave with her sister out into the hallway. He wasn't sure why they were leaving, or for what reason, but the thought filled him with nervousness. Sidling down the couch over to Secter, Sycamore twiddled his fingers together as he approached.

"You ok Sycamore?" asked Secter.

"Fine," said Sycamore. "Uh, I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"What those two are talking about…" said Sycamore. He glanced around the room, noting those at the table and Saitama and Genos chatting away behind the couch. Lowering his voice, he continued. "I uh, actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's that?" asked Secter, leaning back into the couch. Wrinkles formed all around his body as he tilted back, his insides briefly lighting up with pain.

"It uh," said Sycamore. "About Fubuki, she…"

"What? Something wrong?" Secter leaned forward a bit, the prospect of Fubuki being hurt sending him into a mental maelstrom of anger and fear at the same time.

"No, no," said Sycamore. "She just…uh…I kind of wish there were fewer people around…"

"You want to go outside and talk about it?" asked Secter.

"No…let's just keep our voices down. This is private."

"Uh, alright. What is it then?"

"Fubuki…she got flirty with me last night. And wasn't drunk, I don't think."

Secter's fear faded, his mind bursting with a giddy flood of joy. A massive smile spread along his tired face.

"Really?" asked Secter, clasping his hand over his lower lip. "Well, what did you say? What did she say? She likes you? You like her back?"

"Quiet, quiet," said Sycamore, pushing his hands down through the air as if trying to stuff a piece of luggage into a trunk. He turned over at the sound of a chair scraping along the floor. It was only Saitama and Genos, leaving their spot from behind the couch and heading over to the table, Saitama smiling over at his friend. Sycamore turned back to Secter, apprehensive even as Secter smiled from ear to ear.

"I mean," said Sycamore. "Yes. I did like it, and I do like her…and obviously she must like me. But…"

"But what?" asked Secter, his smile beginning to diminish. "Something wrong?"

"It was fast," said Sycamore. "Quite fast…"

"Whoa," said Secter, leaning away from Sycamore. Shock had replaced his happiness, complete surprise overtaking his face. "You uh, didn't go _that_ far, did you?"

"What?!" asked Sycamore, panicked. "No, no. She, well, you knew about the massaging stuff already…"

"Uh huh…"

"Well, it started with that, and she talked about how she liked to make me feel good…"

"Oh jeez," said Secter. "Well, uh, I don't need to know every detail…"

"Yes, right. Um, it uh, I got really nervous, partly because I wasn't really expecting it, and you know, I'm not…I'm not really good with that kind of thing, I'm not good at flirting, and Fubuki, well, you've seen her, she's really, uh, attractive, and she can be intimidating in that kind of environment, so I got a little nervous, maybe even uncomfortable…"

"Ah," said Secter. "Yeah, maybe it does seem a little quick. But did you tell her?"

"I didn't have the heart. And it…kind of would've been not fully true, I mean I was half-nervous, half-enjoying it. Well, maybe more than half-enjoying it, but like I said, I wasn't really prepared, and that sort of thing…just makes me anxious. And you really think it was quick? I mean I do too, but you did mention the previous massages, and she mentioned that as a hint, should I have noticed?"

Secter chuckled, squeezing his sides with his arms.

"Ahhh, I did tell ya," said Secter. "I did say it was something…"

"Yeah…" said Sycamore. "But she never _flirted_, was the thing. Or if she did, I didn't pick up on it…oh God, she totally could've flirted with me during those times and I didn't pick up on it, most of it was just us talking and massaging and her helping me around, but she did say once that she could help me with anything and that she liked coming over to see me…or maybe that's just a friend thing? Ugh, I don't even know."

"Sycamore, just relax. Give yourself a moment to think. Do you like Fubuki?"

"I do…"

"In a more-than-friends type way?"

"I…I could see her that way, but…"

"But?"

"I don't know," said Sycamore. "I do really like Fubuki, she makes me happy to be around her, but…well, I guess I worry I won't be able to keep up, and of course, there's my looks…"

"Your looks?" asked Secter. "Wait, you don't like the way you look?"

"Oh not at all, I look fine. Well, aside from my back of course." Sycamore reached around and scratched at his spine. "But you know, I'm a _Soulless_. I'm not exactly…what most people would define as attractive. Most humans anyways."

"Seems like Fubuki thought the opposite," said Secter. "She seems pretty into you."

"Well, yes," said Sycamore. "I suppose…"

"But she made you nervous eh."

"Yes…"

"Well, you should let her know if she starts to cross any boundaries. That's something she's got to learn, something two people in any relationship ought to learn. If you like her, then that's great, I really hope that you two find happiness with each other, but if you're not fully ready for something like that, then you should let her know."

"That's true…" said Sycamore. "This is why I went to you Secter, you and Tatsumaki…you have an incredibly strong relationship, one that's hard not to be a bit jealous of sometimes."

Secter gave a little chuckle.

"Well thanks," said Secter. "And yeah, I love my relationship with Tatsu, she's absolutely amazing. Understands and knows me to a fault, is so loving and affectionate, so patient and willing to talk, ugh…I really just can't say enough about how fantastic she is." He shifted in his seat, giving a dreamy look over to the hallway where Tatsumaki had disappeared into. Sighing, he turned back to Sycamore, an eyebrow raised. "Though, this is something you'll need to talk about with Fubuki if you two should start to flirt again or if she flirts with you, exactly where your boundaries are and what makes you uncomfortable and what doesn't. You'll have to do some thinking as to what those things might be."

"I know," said Sycamore. "And I know that you shouldn't be talking to her for me, and…I would have to figure that out. Because to be honest, while she was touching me, I liked it, but I also was just so…anxious."

"Uh, well, that's pretty normal. Especially if you're new to this sort of thing. I was kinda nervous around Tatsu sometimes and she got nervous with things with me, but that's not uncommon. It just takes some talking, and some understanding, and some figuring stuff out, as well as experience. Don't worry Sycamore, I want you to have a good relationship with Fubuki if that's what you want to go for, and I'll help you out every step of the way if you need help."

"Thanks Secter," said Sycamore. "You really are my best friend, you know that? And I'll definitely ask for help, if we do end up going forward…I'll probably need some advice. I know next to nothing about relationships."

"No worries!" said Secter, beaming. "And you're one of my best friends too. I'll try to offer advice where I can, though every relationship is different, and sometimes, you'll have to try and figure things out on your own…"

Secter glanced up at the sound of sharp clacking against the ground, only to see Tatsumaki returning over to the couch. She plopped down onto the cushions and immediately leaned into Secter's chest, watching Sycamore with tired eyes.

"Wh…where's Fubuki?" asked Sycamore, twitching.

"She's in the bathroom," said Tatsumaki. "So, what were you two talking about? Is it what I think you were talking about?"

"Ahhh…" said Sycamore. He was at a loss for words, unsure of whether to spill the truth or to just run over to the table to join everyone for snacks.

"About Fubuki," said Tatsumaki. "She told me Sycamore, and I want to hear your side."

"Oh," said Sycamore. "Well…yes, she did flirt with me, and yes, I got nervous. But…like Secter said, I think I just need to work up the courage to talk to her, I'm very much ok with going further into a relationship, I just certainly didn't expect it…"

"I know," said Secter. "I thought you said you two were just friends!"

"Well I thought that," said Sycamore. "But…it doesn't mean I wouldn't be ok with going further. Honestly there was some truth to what you two said, teased me about. I did like Fubuki a lot, she was very kind to me, and we understood each other and she's really sweet…"

"Hmm," said Tatsumaki. "I approve of you two getting together, but be sure to learn where your boundaries are and actually _talk_. Communication's the key, isn't that right Secter?"

"Yep!" said Secter. "And you approve, huh Tatsu? Looking out for your sis?" He nudged her with his arm, playful.

"Of course I am," said Tatsumaki. "I'm not going to let her date a jerk."

"I…" said Sycamore. "I'm not a jerk."

"Of course you're not," said Tatsumaki. "You're a great person, and I think Fubuki could really find happiness with you."

"I hope so…" said Sycamore. "I'll try my best."

"Aww," said Secter. "I think you'll be great for her Sycamore, I'd like to see you two together and happy."

Sycamore's face began to flush, the prospect of him in something more involved with Fubuki more appealing by the minute.

"Thanks," said Sycamore. His cheeks were a pale shade of yellow under his skin. "I'd like to see that too."

"Hey!" shouted Saitama from the table. "You guys all want to play some poker?"

Secter pushed his lower lip out and glanced back and forth at Sycamore and Tatsumaki.

"You guys game?" he asked.

"Sure!" said Sycamore. "Oh you should see me, I'm a pro at poker!"

Tatsumaki gave a tiny little smile, blinking sleepily over at Secter.

"Alright," she said. "Can't say I'm too good, but I'll try."

"It's fun," said Secter. "And I guess we'll put your little lie-detecting method to the test then eh?"

Tatsumaki wrinkled her nose at Secter, smirking all the way.

"Oh you're so doomed," said Tatsumaki. "I know you like the back of my hand, you're not gonna get _anything_ past me."

"Oh you're on," said Secter. "You are _so_ on." He chuckled right before he shot up from the couch, racing Tatsumaki over to the table while poor Sycamore grunted himself to a standing position.

Everyone situated themselves around the table, sitting in a circle while Saitama wrestled the cards out from a small red and white box. Tatsumaki sat next to Secter, who looked over at her with playful but skeptical eyes. There were a few open seats left, one next to Sycamore while the other was next to King.

"You know what they say," said Secter. "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer…"

Tatsumaki drove her elbow into his ribs, soft enough to just bump into the skin but fast enough to make Secter jerk away after the contact.

"Dork," said Tatsumaki.

"Hey," said Secter. "Keep it a clean game, Tatsu."

"Do we even have anything to bet with?" asked Garou. "Where's the chips? Or are we betting cash-"

Saitama grabbed a yellow bag of potato chips behind him on the kitchen counter and whipped around. He dumped the contents onto the table, flakes of gold spilling out all over the tabletop.

"You're…you're serious," said Garou. "Actual chips. Like, the snack."

"Yes, like the snack," said Saitama. "Winner gets all the chips."

"How clever," muttered Sycamore.

"Hey, shut it," said Saitama. "That's all I have. And I uh, kinda don't need to be betting real money right now, don't exactly have a job at the moment…"

"Lame," said Metal Bat. "But fine then, give us the chips."

"Some chips are smaller than others," said Saitama. "But they're all worth the same."

Secter put the edge of his fist to his mouth as Saitama started shoving little piles of chips towards the players. Tiny streaks of translucent grease were left in the chips' wake.

"You gonna be alright Secter?" asked Tatsumaki, raising a thin green eyebrow as her pile of chips arrived.

"I'm uh," said Secter. "Just laughing that we're using actual chips."

"This is so dumb…" said Tatsumaki. "This is like something _you'd_ come up with Secter."

"I am kind of cheap," said Secter.

"Hey!" said Saitama. "Unless you guys want to bet with actual money, or have some real chips laying around, I don't want to hear it."

Bang stared down at his pile of chips, his face serious.

_This is not how we did things back in my day, _he thought.

Fubuki returned from the restroom and Saitama groaned. Secter laughed.

"You're going to have to recount and shuffle the chips back to everyone," said Secter. "Shoulda waited."

"I know, I know," said Saitama. "Fubuki, you want to play?"

Fubuki stopped just short of the table, right behind Sycamore. Confusion masked her face.

"You're playing poker…" she said. "With actual chips."

"Saitama has no money," said King. "So we use chips."

"Dumbest thing in the world…" muttered Garou.

Fubuki stroked her lips with her fingers, her shoulders shaking as she laughed quietly.

"Sure," said Fubuki. "I'll play."

She slid down into the seat next to Sycamore. He watched her sit down, swallowing as her hair swished through the air gently. Turning, Fubuki smiled over at him and laid a hand down on his leg. Sycamore felt his body go stiff as a tree.

"You feeling alright Sycamore?" she asked. "Not sore or anything?"

"Secter," muttered Tatsumaki, leaning over towards him. "Look."

Secter was staring over at Saitama, who was counting chips along with Bang. They started to separate them into piles right next to the deck of cards.

"I saw," said Secter. "You mean, you-know-who?"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "She just can't keep her hands off of him."

"I think it's a bit early to tell," said Secter. "And you're one to talk, Tatsu."

"Hey," whispered Tatsumaki, leaning in close enough to Secter's ear that he could feel her breath against the nape of his neck. "I'll touch you however I want, whenever I want. And besides, we've been together for much longer."

"Don't get too frisky now," said Secter, his cheeks turning pink. "We don't want a repeat of the restaurant, do we?"

"I can control myself," said Tatsumaki. "I just like feeling you up."

Secter smiled over at her.

"Your chips are here," he said.

Tatsumaki pulled away from Secter to peer down at a small pile of chips being pushed towards her by Metal Bat. She sighed and shook her head.

The game commenced, the hands being dealt and the bluffs being made. By the end of the fifth hand, Sycamore was feeling the pressure of already having his chip pile be reduced to a third. He brought his cards up closer to his chest and peered over at Secter's pile, which had doubled in size from the beginning.

"Secter's cheating I swear," mumbled Tatsumaki as she stared at her own hand.

"That's a pretty big accusation to make Tatsu," said Secter. "You got anything to back that up?"

"Hmph," she muttered, too focused on her own hand to continue.

"Oh!" said Fubuki, jolting in her seat. "Guys, don't forget about the meeting later on, it's in a couple of hours or so. I can take you all there if you want to go."

"Sounds good to me," said Secter.

"I'll go," said Tatsumaki.

Garou gave a small nod, while Metal Bat grunted from behind his cards. King nodded as well.

"Of course!" said Bang. "Already had planned to go."

"I will too," said Sycamore. "Assuming I'm welcome…"

"Oh Sycamore," said Fubuki, pulling his arm underneath her shoulder. "Of course you are."

"Guess I will too," said Saitama. "Lot of work to do…"

The game continued for a couple of more hands, with Garou being the first out. Sycamore followed, slumping over the table as the last of his chips were pulled away by a grinning Tatsumaki.

"Great at poker huh?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Shut it," mumbled Sycamore, his voice muffled by the table. Fubuki smiled and rubbed his back as he lay over the tabletop.

More players ended up being kicked out, Metal Bat and King being the next ones to go. Tatsumaki wrinkled her nose in disgust at Secter's pile before turning back to her own cards.

"Got a problem?" asked Secter, smirking.

"Cheater," she mumbled.

"What?" he asked.

"You know," said Tatsumaki. "I don't know how you're doing it, but you _must_ be cheating."

"That's nonsense," said Secter. "Like, if I were using my powers to cheat, Sycamore would tell you all, isn't that right Sycamore?"

Sycamore, who was sitting across the table and chatting to Fubuki, suddenly looked over from their conversation.

"Of course I would," said Sycamore.

"See?" asked Secter. "Nothing to worry about."

Tatsumaki muttered to herself before looking back down at her cards. A few seconds later, she heard Secter's chair scrape ever so slightly against the floor. Whipping her head around, she spotted Secter leaning back in his chair, right towards her back. She gasped. Secter pushed himself right back to his normal sitting position, his lips pulled back into his mouth.

"You!" she said. "I knew it!"

"Huh?" asked Bang, looking up from his pile.

"Cheating!" said Tatsumaki. "He was trying to look at my cards! You-" Tatsumaki cut herself off short and slapped her cards on the table. Exasperated, she reached around Secter's chip pile and pulled it into her own, merging the snacks together into one mega-pile. Secter straightened up in his seat, seething with fake indignance.

"Hey!" said Secter. "You can't just take those!"

"If you were cheating," said Saitama. "Then you're out."

"I saw him," said Tatsumaki, smugness dripping from her expression. "I saw him do it, I caught you red-handed, you're out of here."

"I think I saw him too," said King with a slight smile.

"I did see him move the chair…" said Bang.

Secter gawked at Bang and King, his mouth hanging wide open.

"Wooow," said Secter. "Thanks for backing me up guys."

"We should probably get going soon," said Fubuki. "Meeting will start fairly soon, plus we have to make it all the way there."

"Well in that case I guess we can stop for now," said Saitama. "But three to one, guess that means you're out Secter."

"I think that means I win then," said Tatsumaki. "I got the most."

"What?" asked Secter. "Just because I might've been cheating doesn't mean you get to take all of mine!"

"Hey, you were cheating off of me," said Tatsumaki. "So your stuff is mine. Plus we're together, so your stuff is basically mine anyways."

"That is _not _how it works," said Secter. "You at least have to forfeit my stuff to the pot."

Fubuki watched the two bicker, chuckling.

"Come on you two," said Fubuki. "They're just chips. Let's all get ready to go."

Tatsumaki flashed a smug smile over at Secter, triumphant in her victory over him. Secter narrowed his eyes.

In an instant, Secter tore his hand down into Tatsumaki's chip pile. He pulled a handful of chips out from the little mound of snacks and shoved it into his mouth before turning away from Tatsumaki. She froze, in awe of Secter's sudden act. Then as he tried to walk away, Tatsumaki's mouth twisted into an angry snarl and she leapt onto Secter's back, pushing him forward towards the wall.

"Hey!" said Secter, finding it exceedingly difficult to speak with a mouthful of chips. "Whatrryudoing?"

"Spit em out!" said Tatsumaki. She started to laugh as she clung to Secter, hanging over his back even as he headed closer to the front door. "You don't just get to take those, don't be a sore loser!"

Bang beamed over at Secter and Tatsumaki. Garou noticed his sunny disposition and raised an eyebrow.

"Such a lively couple," said Bang. "Warms the heart."

Garou just shook his head.

"What?" asked Bang, glancing over at him.

"Nothing," said Garou. "Happy for them."

"Time to get going guys," said King. "Fubuki, lead the way?"

Fubuki nudged Sycamore, who gave her a quizzical look.

"Everyone follow me," said Fubuki. "It's quite a ways, we'll have to get a ride."

Fubuki rose and the rest of the group followed, chatting as they started towards the front door. Secter made it out first, finally munching down what was left of the chips and feeling Tatsumaki slide down his back in defeat. He opened the door and took his first steps outside, with Tatsumaki striding behind him, glaring in mock frustration at his back and a tiny smile on her face. Secter glanced over at her, the sight of Tatsumaki filling him with happiness to simply be alive.


	16. Chapter 16

The meeting room was dark, a couple of mahogany tables in the center of a room large enough to have once been a gymnasium. People of all kinds, former heroes, civilians, the members of Mumen and Accel's groups were strewn around the room, most of them close to the table and getting ready to sit down. At the end of the room entered Secter and the rest of the group, spreading out as everyone else in the room turned to stare at them in awe. Secter scratched at his neck, uncomfortable at the sheer amount of attention that he was suddenly receiving. Sycamore felt even worse, unsure if the looks he was getting were ones of appreciation or apprehension.

"Hello everyone," said Fubuki. "I've brought some more people."

"Secter!" came a voice from within the crowd. Secter leaned forward, the voice distant but familiar.

"Ri…Rikuto?" asked Secter. "You're here?"

Rikuto emerged from the small crowd clustered around the table, along with Mei. Her arms looked even worse now, chunks missing from her strange metal appendages and cracks all over the wrists and hands. Secter stepped forward and raised his arms to his sides, and both heroes rushed over to him, all embracing in a mighty group hug.

"I…I didn't even know you guys were alive…" said Secter. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Factory," said Mei. "Unfortunately, like a lot of people."

"Fuck…" said Secter. "That's awful guys, none of this should've happened to you, to _anyone_."

"It was…not good," said Rikuto. They separated from Secter, many pairs of eyes still on him. "But you're talking like it's your fault, when it's completely the opposite! Fubuki has told us all about you and Sycamore, all that you've done, how you took out Silan and all of his terrible people. If you can even call them people, that is."

"Vastal and Viskel and Koros helped," said Secter. "But…thanks."

"No problem!" said Mei. "We're so glad you're here, just about everyone here idolizes you guys."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you guys, we'd probably all be at the factory or dead," said Rikuto.

"Let's not forget all that you guys did though," said Fubuki. "Rikuto and Mei here helped lead the raids along with Accel to get people out of the factory."

"Yes," said Mei. "Lot of poor people died in the process…"

Secter gave them a gloomy smile, brimming with pride and sadness at the same time.

"You two did a great thing," said Secter. "Everyone who helped did an amazing, heroic, and commendable thing."

"Thank you," said Mei. "But you all did too! We were inspired by what we heard about the camp, Tatsumaki standing up to Silan, and we all hoped that you two would get back."

"And then you all took him down," said Rikuto. "We were on our way towards the factory when we saw…all those arms, and our skin started flaking…"

"Yes, that was Silan," said Sycamore. "Unfortunately, but it's just what Soulless are capable of…"

"I see…" said Rikuto. "Well, we'll get to all this, but please, sit down! There's lots to discuss, and lots of work to be done."

Secter and the rest of the group settled around the table, with everyone in the room taking a seat. Stares were still cast over at Secter, Sycamore, Tatsumaki, Fubuki, just about everyone in the group. It was as if they were a group of superstars among their biggest fans, people trying to act normal but their attention being stolen away by the slightest movements of the stars. Like at the poker table, Secter and Tatsumaki sat next to one another, while Fubuki and Sycamore did the same.

"So…who's in charge?" asked Garou.

"Technically it's a group leadership," said Rikuto. "But since Accel was killed on one of the raids, and poor Mumen…usually me, Mei, the occasional former S-class from the Hero Association, and Fubuki lead the charge."

Footsteps at the door. Fubuki turned to see her group wander in, each one of them wearing casual clothing instead of the normal suits. Fubuki's heart fluttered and she waved to them, with everyone in the group waving or greeting her in some other way back. They joined everyone at the table, with more greetings being exchanged between those present. Rikuto cleared his throat.

"We are so glad to have you all here," said Rikuto. "As you know, we've been making plans to help out in reconstruction efforts, memorial building, funeral services, reuniting efforts, group support, and more. But before we get into any of the details, I'm afraid we have some sad news."

People leaned forward. Secter felt his chest begin to tighten.

"The number estimated to have been killed by Silan's people…" said Rikuto. "Has been bumped into the thousands. Damage done to buildings by Silan's power, killings at the camp, and more have all made the officials re-estimate the numbers."

Mutterings and gasps. Secter's heart started to lower towards his stomach. He turned to see Tatsumaki stiffen, her gaze focused straight ahead. The rest of the group looked serious.

"Yes," said Rikuto. "Horrible news, but as we've seen, this doesn't mean we will let it destroy us. We will keep moving forward and heal, as we have always done."

"That's right…" said Secter.

Rikuto gave a little nod.

"We want to welcome our newest members too," said Rikuto. "Secter, Tatsumaki, Garou, Metal Bat, Bang, Saitama, Sycamore, and King."

Nods and smiles from the people around the room. They were the clear stars of the show.

"Let's move on to the agenda," said Mei. She took out a notepad, glancing it over through cool blue eyes. "For the stuff we wanted to talk about."

Secter raised his hand, sheepish at first but slowly rising it until it was extended all the way.

"Yes, Secter?" asked Mei.

"I…I don't want to pressure anyone into answering," said Secter, lowering his hand back down. "But I have been worried at what happened to people at the factory. Neither I nor anyone else in the camp were present for it, and I'm worried about what people had to have gone through."

Mei gave a grim nod.

"I understand," said Mei. "I'd be willing to talk, anyone can share their stories here, this is a place for support, not denigration."

"Yes," said Secter. "I'd like to be able to support those who went through all that."

"Same here," said Tatsumaki.

The room went quiet for a moment, no one daring to speak. Secter worried that he might've gone a bit too far, delved into territory that wasn't his own. He started to open his mouth again, ready to reassure everyone that it wasn't really his place, but he wanted to know just what had happened in his absence…

"We were worked to death some days," said Mei. "It kind of depended. Some days we'd be working like mad, usually when Greidhof threatened to get Silan involved and Maske would crack the whip. Other days everything would be quiet, most of the Soulless would go out to do…something, and Greidhof would brood in his office. The conditions we lived in were terrible, stinking, and cramped, and right next to…right next to Maske's room."

"Maske was by far the worst," said a short man with scraggly hair. "He took people away, skinned them alive, and would kill at the slightest provocation. He said that he knew about the raids, but was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to dash our hopes completely. Thankfully…you guys came in before he got to do that, but he still got to Accel, still took him away…"

"The smell…" said Mei. "I still remember the smell…and the screams…"

"Please tell me he went painfully," said Rikuto, his brows furrowing. "Please."

"I stabbed him to death," said Sycamore. "Would've done it more painfully, but I was low on energy, low on blood, and low on time. But…I'm sorry to hear about all this."

"Me too," said Secter. "Christ, those bastards…"

"The only thing we can do now is heal," said Mei. "Maske and all the other Soulless are gone, correct?"

"One…one got away," said Sycamore. "But Koros went after him."

Fear. It punctuated the group, sending murmurs and shivers throughout everyone outside of Secter's group. Like a virus it spread to everyone who heard Sycamore's diseased words.

"Everyone," said Fubuki. "Listen. I know it's frightening…"

"Of course it's frightening!" shouted a man from down the table. "We have no guarantee this won't happen again! The Soulless just steamrolled all of the heroes and took over the world with what, fifteen people? Twenty? How do we know something like this won't happen again, the only two people Fubuki's told us about who really know about the Soulless are Secter and Sycamore!"

Everyone turned to look over at Secter and Sycamore. Both of them felt an oncoming rush of exhaustion at the panicked stares of the people.

"Look…" said Secter. "I…I know it hurts, but I honestly have no way of knowing whether more Soulless will come or not. There's no good way for me to know."

"A Soulless can block our mental vision if we look out for them," said Sycamore. "But it does so in a fairly large radius. If Secter and I are always on the alert, we can detect them, but then they'll be able to home in on us as well. And we won't know how many of them there would be…our best bet is to do patrols in ships, strike quick if there's a threat."

"You two are our only defense!" shrieked the man. "You did well against Silan's people, but I heard they were part of a bigger group, what if they come back with more?! Then what do we do?"

"Please, calm down," said Mei. "We can discuss this civilly…"

"I'm sorry," said the man. "But pardon fucking me for being worried about this. We just went through hell, and we all want to make sure it doesn't happen again!"

"We…" said Sycamore. "We can't really guarantee anything…"

Fubuki slid her hand across Sycamore's back, her heart aching for him. He deserved a break in her mind, he was still recovering from the grievous wounds he had just received not long ago.

"Guys," said Fubuki. "I know it's frightening, but we shouldn't panic. We have to focus on rebuilding, if we worry constantly about the Soulless coming back, then we won't get anywhere…"

"We just want a damned safety net!" said the man. "We just want security!"

"There is another way…" mumbled Garou.

Sycamore snapped his head to the side, glaring and snarling over at Garou. The fact he would bring it up at such a time was causing Sycamore's irritation to boil over.

"I told you we can't do that," said Sycamore. "Don't bring it up."

"Bring what up?" asked the man. "What did Garou say?"

"Ugh," said Sycamore.

"You can get the powers of a Soulless," said Garou. "Somehow…"

"We have no idea how to do that," said Sycamore. "And you'd need candidates, preferably willing ones."

"Then go find some!" shouted the man. "Go to wherever the Soulless are, and bring some here for the process!"

"I thought you said you didn't want any more here," said Sycamore. "And I have no intention on going back to the Nothing ever again, I go back there and you'll more than likely never see me again."

"No one is going back there," said Secter, his leg twitching as rage rocked his body. "And like Sycamore said, we don't know how to do the process. If we try, we're just going to end up with a lot of dead people and a bunch of Soulless that we'd have to keep track of. So can it for now, you're just going to have to roll with us two, be thankful you even have that."

The man slumped back into his seat, grim. Others seemed to share his look of defeat. Secter looked down at Tatsumaki, surprised at her silence. What he saw disturbed him, she was looking off into the distance with eyes grey, her mind somewhere else. He nudged her, his heart twisting and turning like a wet towel to be dried. Tatsumaki twitched and looked up at him, surprised.

"Tatsu," he asked. "You ok?"

"Sorry," she said. "Was…just worried about something."

"Everyone, let's move on," said Mei. "I know we're worried about future things, but for now we have to focus on our present efforts…and accept that Sycamore and Secter will help us should we get in trouble again, I have every bit of faith that they'd be able to handle some of the greatest challenges that could be thrown at them."

An image of Secter with a pole thrust through his chest, along with Sycamore laying next to him bleeding on the ground, flashed in Tatsumaki's mind. She could still see Silan and his followers laughing and pointing up as the two struggled…

She shook her head and the image faded. She couldn't let this get to her now.

"Tatsu…" said Secter.

"I'm fine," said Tatsumaki. "Let's just get on with it."

Secter wasn't convinced. His heart strained tighter as Tatsumaki sealed her lips.

"To the next matter," said Mei, glancing down at her notebook. "A matter of a memorial…this one is tricky, our ideas were meant to memorialize all those who were lost in the camp and the factory and out of it, as well as note the heroism of who tried to save us…but there's been a lot of arguments over the design, as well as whose names should be posted on it…"

"We already have some for the plaque," said Fubuki, looking left and right to the people at her sides. "But we'd like to expand on this."

"Don't put those two Soulless on there," grumbled the same man from earlier. "What were their names? Vastal and Viskel? They might've turned good, but people won't want to see Soulless's names on there. Give them something else, some other memorial elsewhere…"

Sycamore leaned his head back on his seat, actually glad for Fubuki's touch as it calmed him to a point to where he wouldn't start shouting across the table.

"We want to immortalize the heroism of those who risked their lives to save us too," said Mei, shocked. "Vastal and Viskel may have been a part of Silan's group, but from what she's told me, they were instrumental in saving us from the very people they used to help…"

_Ugh, not this again, _thought Fubuki. _Poor Sycamore, he really deserves so much better, he doesn't need to hear all of this shit…_

"They were vital," said Fubuki. "And relatively kind for the most part, though they certainly weren't perfect…"

"Threatening my sis…" muttered Metal Bat. "But he turned out to be an alright guy."

"We should just focus on the design for now," said Mei. "We are getting the materials from the government and from Metal Knight, he's been quite helpful in reconstruction efforts."

"Yes," said Rikuto. "And I worry about not including Soulless, poor Sycamore is probably already seeing fear left and right, and we want to set the record straight for him that he was instrumental in beating Silan as well. We've been creating broadcasts and flyers, but it takes time to distribute, and not everyone will listen…"

"Sadly yes," said Mei. "I'm sorry about some of the stuff you probably hear Sycamore."

"It's fine," he mumbled. "People are afraid, I get it. I'll probably just lay low for a time anyways."

"That's still stupid," said Fubuki. "Just plain unfair…"

"They're afraid," said Sycamore. "I know it sucks, but there's not much I can do…"

"Yes, we'll keep working on that," said Mei. "But, um, any more design ideas for the memorial? I know we didn't get too far last time, but I'd like to get some more ideas in there, we know the size of the base at least…"

Silence. People contemplated, Saitama narrowed his eyes.

"We got to get any kind of approval for stuff like this?" asked Saitama.

"That is kind of the issue," said Mei. "We do want people from all cities to look upon this, though I feel this won't be the only memorial made…"

"Yeah no one's really trying to stop this," said Rikuto. "We just want the memorial to look great, otherwise you know, people might just get upset…"

"Well you can't please everyone," said Saitama. "This should be _our _memorial, the ones who made it."

"True," said Mei. "Maybe we just worry too much…"

"I say we invite everyone here to start thinking about the details," said Fubuki. "Maybe come up with their own bits of the design and we can all discuss them next time? Doesn't seem like many people have ideas as of right now…"

"It's a big project," said Secter. "And I'm not really that creative."

"Yeah that's a lot for one person to think of," said Tatsumaki. "Maybe…maybe I don't know, kind of like a wall of names? And…uh…"

"We have thought of a wall," said Rikuto. "Could be…"

"Well, we'll sleep on it," said Mei. "Try to think of some ideas and bring them to the next meeting, we would like to get started soon."

She smiled and looked back down at the clipboard.

"Ah," she said, her voice turning sad. "The matter of funerals…I do know that Atomic Samurai's disciples have already scheduled theirs, and Mumen's is getting finalized as well. Lot of funerals to be planned…" She glanced up at Fubuki with tired but sympathetic eyes. "And as for you Fubuki?"

Fubuki gave a tiny nod.

"My group and I are arranging for a date," said Fubuki. "It'll likely be within the next month, lot of rebuilding to do but we're close on settling a date. Of course, anyone is welcome to come, I know a lot of my friends here are…"

Sycamore tilted his head to lean it on Fubuki's shoulder. He was tired, earlier expecting the meeting to be relaxing but now just wishing he could go home. Fubuki felt him lean against her and her heart skipped a beat. She glanced over, her eyes full of adoration.

"Well please let us know," said Mei. "Now I think we get into more specific issues of reconstruction, and volunteer programs! We have a lot to sign up for…"

The meeting went on for around another hour, the streetlights outside flickering to life as night enshrouded the world. At the meeting's end, people said their goodbyes, and Secter gave another hug to Rikuto and Mei.

"You guys have no idea how proud I am of you," said Secter. "Seriously, what you've done is amazing."

"Oh, you too Secter," said Rikuto. "Seriously, you're the hero of the world now!"

"Ah, I couldn't have done it without help," said Secter, glancing back over to a smiling Tatsumaki and a half-asleep Sycamore in his chair. "But even still, sounds like we got a lot of work to do."

"We do," said Mei. "And we're so glad you could be a part of it."

Secter separated from them and said his goodbye before meeting up with the rest of the gang. They all headed out from the massive room and into the darkened streets, cool air washing over them like a refreshing wave.

"Ahh," said Bang. "Much nicer out here."

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Tired though."

"Place was kinda grim," said Saitama. "They're doing a lot of good work, but man, I feel for ya Sycamore, it's just not fair at all…"

"I know," said Sycamore. "But I don't feel like talking about it now. Now I just want a nap."

"Yeah," said Saitama. "But hey guys, you all look so tired and stuff now, why don't we all do something fun tomorrow?"

"Oh?" asked Fubuki, perking up. "Like what?"

Saitama shrugged.

"So helpful," said Fubuki, her shoulders dropping in exasperation. "Well…why not the beach then? Could be nice, just relaxing there…"

"I am busy with some dojo things tomorrow unfortunately," said Bang. "Plus I'm a bit too old for beach activities…"

"Right, I also got dojo stuff," muttered Garou.

"I'd be down," said Metal Bat. "Something nice to help take my sis's mind off of things too."

"That'd be alright…" said Sycamore.

"Yeah I'd be cool with it too," said Secter, giving a slightly devious look over at Tatsumaki.

"Same," said Tatsumaki, returning a tired little smile.

"Yeah I'd go," said Saitama. "King, Genos, you down?"

"Of course," said Genos.

"Sounds alright to me," said King. "We talking about the afternoon then?"

"Sure!" said Fubuki. "And I'll text you all the details. And a shame Bang, we'll get you in on some activities too."

"Like visiting my dojo!" said Bang, with a slight grin.

"Right…" said Fubuki, shaking her head.

"Well it's late guys," said Saitama. "Guess I'm heading back. Thanks for showing up, I suppose."

"Thanks for letting us stay," said Secter. "And you know, the poker game."

"No problem," said Saitama. "I'll see you guys."

"See ya," said Secter.

The rest of the group said their goodbyes, each member departing until only Fubuki, Sycamore, Tatsumaki, and Secter remained.

"You guys heading home too?" asked Secter as Tatsumaki took his arm and held it against her side.

"I'm going to talk with my group for a bit," said Fubuki. "Then…" She glanced over at Sycamore. "Maybe visit with you for a little while, if you don't mind."

Sycamore felt a ball form in his throat.

"Sure," he said.

_Oh Jesus, look at Sycamore shake, _thought Secter. _Be careful with him, eh Fubuki?_

"Great!" said Fubuki. "I'll be right back then, see you all later!"

Tatsumaki, Secter and Sycamore waved goodbye to Fubuki as she ran down the street and headed back inside. Sycamore turned to Tatsumaki and Secter, who were both smiling, sly as foxes.

"Oh stop it," said Sycamore. "Look, I'm going home alright? You two get some rest."

"You too Sycamore," said Secter. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye Sycamore," said Tatsumaki. "Don't do anything too crazy."

Sycamore shook his head and turned around before heading back up the street towards his hotel. Secter and Tatsumaki swiveled to head the opposite way. They walked down an empty road, the quietness slowly beginning to tug on Secter's nerves. Tatsumaki was as silent as the world around them, a tiny frown on her face as they drew closer to the way home.

"So, Tatsu…" said Secter.

"Hmm?" asked Tatsumaki, glancing up at him.

"Back at the meeting, there seemed to be something worrying you…"

"Oh. Right."

"You want to talk about it?"

"I was just worried, is all."

"Worried?"

"I…just really don't want to think about more Soulless coming in and hurting everyone. And the fact that I'm still so…so powerless to do anything makes it even worse. Like imagine Secter, if Silan wasn't interested in keeping people alive. If he just wanted to kill. Could you imagine what would have happened?"

Secter's stomach plummeted, his brain going hazy. This was the last thing he wanted to think about right now.

"It…" he said. "Yes, it would've been terrible. But it didn't happen, and you can't put all that pressure on yourself, it's not your fault…"

"I know that," said Tatsumaki. "But I still worry. As rude as that guy was, he had a point in saying that we don't really know if any Soulless will show up again…"

"Ah," said Secter, his voice thinner than tissue paper. "I know, I know, it's happened quite a few times-"

"Three, Secter! Three! I just want everything to be alright again you know, for like, a long time. I've finally found something truly special, my sister is happy and so am I, and just again and again something comes to try and tear it away. I know we need to be strong, and I'll hold out as best I can, and I know you'll be there for me, but I still am terrified of the day when a Soulless comes again and then you…aren't."

Secter pulled his lips in, drawing a heavy sigh.

"Yeah…" he said. "I worry the same for you too. And…I understand, it's unfair, and frightening, and I wish I could do more-"

"You've done more than enough Secter, what I want is for you to have to do _nothing_."

Secter went quiet. He struggled to find a response. Almost a minute went by with no words spoken, until Tatsumaki broke the silence.

"And I know," she said. "I know it's beyond our control. I know that life can be unfair or cruel sometimes, but seriously, it was just one after the _other_. I don't know how many more times I can take something like this, it was so special to me to have finally made something with you and then to find out you're the love of my life, and then just…again, and again, and again…"

"I know…" said Secter, doing his best not to choke up. He didn't succeed, and Tatsumaki looked up at him with glistening eyes.

"I just wish I could do more," said Tatsumaki. "And I pray, I pray, I fucking _pray_, that things will be ok. Just for a little while, a long while. And not knowing that…it scares me."

"That's…" said Secter. "That's how life can be yes, but you're right, the Soulless feel like something that have happened too often, something more…preventable."

"Honestly…" said Tatsumaki. "I know Sycamore doesn't like it, and I know you don't like it, but I'd certainly be willing to go through absorption if we ever figured out how to do it. Having that kind of power…just to help you two…"

"There are other ways to help-"

"I know, but I'm so tired of feeling so helpless. Fuck, maybe this is a bit of the old me talking, but I still hate it, I really do, I wish I could fight back with more than just words sometimes. Because…there be a day where fighting back with words just isn't enough. Where feeling heroic and proving it to our enemy just isn't enough, because the enemy won't _care_. And…that'll leave everyone at risk. I'm just… so tired of being afraid all the time"

"Yes, it's gotten exhausting…" said Secter. "And I don't blame you for wanting the power just to be able to help us, and protect your sis, but…"

"But?"

"I just…I…it's not…"

"What is it?"

Secter sighed.

"The process itself is awful," said Secter. "And I'm just tired of seeing you, Fubuki, Sycamore, myself, hell pretty much anyone, go through all that pain. And it…fucks with you, tears you back to some of your worst memories…I had times thinking back to when there were days with me and my siblings when we didn't have a lot to eat, shivering and hungry and worried about the future…"

"Secter…" said Tatsumaki.

"And I worry you know, that you'll be forced back to that damned lab…I fucking despised seeing Fubuki in that tube, I hate having you be dragged back to those memories for no reason…"

"They're horrible…" said Tatsumaki. "But I've come more to terms with it now…what worried me more was seeing Fubuki in there…"

"Ah," said Secter. "Well, at least you've moved on from all that shit, or so I hope. I still worry though…"

"I know," said Tatsumaki. "And I do for you. But we'll always talk if something bothers us, right?"

"Always," said Secter. "Can't…can't keep all that pent up."

"Speaking of which," said Tatsumaki spotting her house just up the way. "You don't talk about your family much…"

"Yeah," said Secter. "I'll admit, still fucking bothers me. Still miss em."

"Of course you do," said Tatsumaki. "You've just never told me much in the way of specifics…"

"Haven't had much time as of late," said Secter. "But I'll tell you more, I promise. For now, I just want to go home." He smiled over at Tatsumaki. "Preeeetty excited to see you in a swimsuit…"

Tatsumaki laughed, her chest shaking.

"You've seen me naked," said Tatsumaki. "And you're excited to see me in a swimsuit?"

"Hey, you'd rock a bikini," said Secter. "You're too gorgeous not to."

"Mmm," said Tatsumaki, rubbing herself against Secter's side. "Well, I'll let you see all the swimsuits I have…"

"Ooh," said Secter. "Actually, I don't know if have a swimsuit…"

"Oh right," said Tatsumaki. "You don't do you?"

"I'd have to look through my clothes again," said Secter. "Otherwise we can go get one."

"Yeah…" said Tatsumaki, yawning. "Tired though…"

"Me too, me too," said Secter. "Let's just get home for now, we can worry about that later."

. . .

Sycamore stopped short just ahead of the entrance at the hotel. Like at the meeting room, he was being met with stares, also from a group of people. Unlike the people at the room, this group had members holding signs, along with a single man standing on a crate above the rest. He pointed at Sycamore as he drew near.

"There he is!" shouted the man.

Sycamore squinted. Surely he had heard this man's voice before…

"You're not welcome in my hotel anymore!" said the man.

_Oh, _thought Sycamore. _Owner. _

"I've seen the damage your kind can do!" shouted the hotel owner. "And I lost one of my best friends to you!"

"Are you…" said Sycamore. "Are you serious?"

"You're a danger!" shouted one of the people in the crowd. "The Soulless can't be trusted!"

"Go home!" shouted another. "We all saw that giant sword, we know you made it! You probably brought the rest!"

"I…" said Sycamore, his heart throbbing in his chest. He was overwhelmed by the number of glares he was getting, like a wall of hatred being flung at him and smashing into his senses at mach speed.

"Get out of here!" shouted the owner. "Why not go be useful someplace else eh? Go back and fight off Soulless before they get here, as opposed to doing any more damage on Earth!"

Sycamore shuddered in place. He wanted to break down if but for a moment, so shocked of the sudden assault of anger that he almost felt like crying. Swallowing his pain, he took a step forward, his mouth twisting into a vicious snarl.

"You bastards," said Sycamore. "You do realize that Silan coming wasn't my fault, right? And that I fought against him! Had to go through hell to get back here, did it again to save all your asses!"

This shut a few of the protestors up, but the rest began to shout. The owner's voice boomed over the rest.

"You're still a danger!" said the owner. "You might be closer to one of the good ones, but we know what you're capable of, what you almost did! We don't want to see you anymore!"

"You people…" said Sycamore. "You people sicken me. Running on hatred but no substance, just like Silan did. You're just gonna ignore all the stuff to the contrary eh? Sure, I'll leave, but you're all gonna feel like shit when you learn about all I did for you. All that I would _still _do for you. That's right, if people like Silan came back again, I'd _still _fight to protect you. I won't fall like the rest of you are threatening to do right now."

He turned his back to the group, which had grown quiet by now. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he listened as the owner started shrieking again, but was too tired to even bother to hear what he was saying. Sycamore left the area, heading back down the street until he was out of sight of the protestors.

_Oh God, I have no place to stay now, _thought Sycamore. _I've got no house…I'll…I'll have to just figure this out, maybe ask someone…_

He sniffed, tears welling up behind his eyes.

_Can't believe all this shit, _he thought. _They went so far as to prevent me from even going home to fucking sleep. My body is still aching and they're already pouring salt in the wounds. Bunch of assholes…_

Staring at the ground, Sycamore shuffled his feet along the sidewalk. He bumped into someone at the front, and he jolted back, half-expecting more shouting. Instead, he was greeted with a friendly smile and a beautiful face.

"Hello Sycamore!" said Fubuki. "Where…where are you going? Isn't your house the other way?"

Fubuki spotted Sycamore's eyes, shimmering in the moonlight. Her chest started to tighten.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" asked Fubuki. "Sycamore?"

"It's…" said Sycamore. "Ugh."

"Sycamore," said Fubuki, grasping him by the shoulders. She pulled him into her body, wrapping her hands around his back and spreading out her fingers to massage his muscles. Sycamore pulled his hands behind her as well, sighing softly.

"You can tell me, it's ok," said Fubuki. "I want to know what's wrong."

"Got kicked out," said Sycamore. "Of my suite. Bunch of jerks…"

Fubuki pulled back from Sycamore, but still kept her arms around him. Her eyes went wide.

"What?" she asked. "Kicked out? By who?"

"Owner," he said. "Bunch of protestors. It's…ugh, I just don't want to deal with this right now. And plus, I gotta find a place to stay…"

"Wait right here," said Fubuki. "I'll be right back."

She let go of Sycamore, arms dropping to her sides. Fubuki ran past Sycamore, heading straight for the hotel ahead.

"Fubuki!" said Sycamore. "You don't have to-"

She was already almost there, and not ready to even entertain the notion of going back.

Fubuki reached the front of the hotel, appalled at the group assembled by the doors. Anger swelled within her brain, and for the briefest of moments, she considered tossing them away with a psychic wind. Taking a deep breath, she stormed forward, catching the attention of the owner. He ceased his encouragements to the group and stared at Fubuki as she approached, crossing his arms.

"I heard you were being assholes to Sycamore," said Fubuki. Her voice was rough, the words bleeding with fury. She wasn't sure when the last time she had been this angry was. "You want to explain why to me?"

"He's a danger!" said the owner. "All Soulless are! We've seen what they're capable of, we've seen what he's capable of! He has no place here, he should go back to where he came from!"

A vein bulged against Fubuki's temple. She gritted her teeth, grinding them together as she shot twin daggers of hatred from her eyes at the owner.

"Sycamore nearly died God knows how many times just to _get back here_," said Fubuki. "Then he pulled himself up to fight Silan and his gang, almost died in the process, and is still recovering from his wounds, and you have the fucking nerve to _kick him out of his home? _Are you fucking insane? You'd all be dead without him, Silan was going to destroy the world if it weren't for people like him!"

There were glances amongst the group. Fubuki wasn't certain if they were fully convinced, but by the look on the owner's face, he surely wasn't.

"I don't want him here," said the owner. "End of story."

Fubuki looked up at him from the rest of the group. Her face was half-enshrouded with shadow as she glared. The owner felt a chill run down his spine, his own hatred being dwarfed by Fubuki's endless fury.

"One day," said Fubuki. "You'll have to tell your kids about how you refused Sycamore shelter less than a week after Silan's invasion. What do you think they'll say?"

The owner said nothing. He kept his arms crossed.

"I hope you all give this a good, hard think," said Fubuki. "Because you're hurting someone who doesn't deserve it, someone who's been out to help you since day fucking one. Let that keep you up at night, because you deserve the rest far less than Sycamore does."

Fubuki turned from the group, feeling ready to drop with exhaustion. Had someone told her but a week ago that she would have to defend him from protestors blocking him from his home, she would've screamed them off the stage. But here she was, and it made her tired to no end.

She returned to see Sycamore leaning against the side of a building, in the same place she had left him earlier. He straightened up at the sight of her, worried.

"What happened?" he asked. "What did you do?"

"Just gave them a piece of my mind," said Fubuki. "Shut them up pretty good. Trust me, those aren't people who are worth your time."

Sycamore went quiet for a moment. A smile stretched over his face, so big and happy that Fubuki couldn't help but smile too. Her chest filled with warmth, her heartbeat quickening until it was thumping in her chest.

"Sycamore, you need a place to stay right?" asked Fubuki.

"Uh," said Sycamore. "I mean, yeah…"

"I think you know what I want," said Fubuki. "Come on with me, you're staying with me until further notice."

"Fubuki, you really don't have to do this…"

Fubuki strode forward, pushing her chest out as she reached Sycamore. She laid a hand on the top of his chest.

"I _want_ to," she said. "And come on, it's late. No need for you to be out here all cold, you don't need to stay in a dingy hotel or something."

"Well, yeah…" said Sycamore.

Fubuki closed her eyes and beamed at Sycamore, drawing her hand down his chest and pulling it to her stomach.

"Then let's go!" said Fubuki.

She turned and strode down the street, turning around and raising a finger for Sycamore to follow. Curling her finger back, she waited for him.

"Fubuki…" said Sycamore. "Don't do this just out of pity, ok? Not the invitation, and not, you know, everything else…"

Fubuki's face went from playful to shocked in an instant.

"What?" she asked. "I'm inviting you because you're my friend Sycamore. And as for the other stuff…well, I've been making hints even before this all started, I like you because you're a sweetheart and a cute one at that. Now come on, let's get home, ok?"

"Alright…" said Sycamore. A terse little smile was on his face as he followed Fubuki to her house.

Sycamore settled down on Fubuki's couch, a blanket over his shoulders and a steaming mug of coffee wrapped in his hands. He was content and warm, and he smiled over at the television.

_She has a nice place, _thought Sycamore. _And really, she is very kind, though I get the feeling…_

Fubuki slid her hands down Sycamore's shoulders, laying her head atop his. Cheek smooshed against scalp, and Sycamore relaxed back into the cushions.

"That's it Sycamore," said Fubuki. "Just relax…"

"Thank you Fubuki," said Sycamore. "You're too kind, really."

"It's nothing," said Fubuki. "Honestly it would be nice to have you over here sometimes, it gets a bit lonely from time to time…"

Sycamore sipped at his tea absentmindedly.

_Just don't push too far, _thought Fubuki. _Got it. Boundaries, communication. Though…flirting is fun. _

Sycamore glanced around Fubuki's home, taking in the pale white walls, the dark wood beams over the ceiling, and the spacious floorplan attaching the kitchen, foyer, and living room. It was indeed a nice place, not quite as large or as modern as Tatsumaki's home, but cozy nonetheless. He spotted a dusty fireplace over in the corner.

"You do have a nice place," said Sycamore, his head dipping as Fubuki tapped her chin into his scalp.

"Thanks," said Fubuki. "Soooo…anything you want to do?"

"Uh," said Sycamore. He kept his eyes on the fireplace. "Not sure…by the way, do you ever use that?"

"Use what?" asked Fubuki. She laid her head against Sycamore's again, following his gaze over to the fireplace. Her heart lit up as she imagined her and Sycamore clanking wine glasses right next to an open flame. "Oh! No, I don't really, but you want to get it going?"

"Sure!" said Sycamore. The idea of sitting next to a warm fire felt cozy to him, retreating from the coldness of the outside world to a tiny little spot of goodness. He started to stand up, feeling as if his muscles in his legs and chest were straining in pain as he did so. Grunting, he strode over to the fire, mug in hand and blanket still over his shoulders. Inspecting the dirty logs inside, Sycamore shrugged.

"I'll have to see if I have all the stuff to start it," said Fubuki, chuckling. "Honestly, I haven't used it in such a long time-"

Sycamore snapped his fingers, and a fire burst into life within the wood. Flickering yellow and orange flames licked away at the corners of the fireplace, illuminating Fubuki's face with dancing light. Fubuki blinked away her surprise, doing her best to keep her cool.

"Well…" she said. "I guess that works too. You want any wine?"

"I'll have a little," said Sycamore. "Thank you Fubuki."

Fubuki beamed at the little Soulless huddled against the fire, somehow so tiny despite being half a foot taller than her. He had been taller when they first met, however had likely shrunk his size in order to fit into buildings. She strode into the kitchen, brimming with happiness. Tearing a wine bottle out from one of the cupboards, she popped it open and poured a glass for herself, then a smaller one for Sycamore. Returning to the fireplace, she handed him his glass as he set his mug on the ground, empty.

Sycamore took the glass and swirled the red liquid inside, as Fubuki held out her glass with a wide smile and heavy eyes.

"Oh!" said Sycamore, looking up from his glass. He reached over and tinked his glass against hers, prompting a little chuckle from Fubuki at his surprised reaction. The two of them both drank, the fruity flavor washing over Fubuki's tongue.

"Mmph," said Fubuki, pulling her drink away and wiping at her lips with her fingers. "Good stuff."

"Yeah…" said Sycamore.

"Sycamore," said Fubuki, watching him as he stared back down into his drink. "I know that stuff like what you just heard back at the hotel and the meeting bothers you."

"Well…yes," said Sycamore.

"And I just want you to know that not everyone thinks that way," said Fubuki. "And it's entirely unfair to you, and the majority of people know it. Those who refuse to see things the way they are are idiots. Plain and simple."

Sycamore smiled down into his drink.

"I know," he said. "And thank you Fubuki, you reaching out and being so kind…it really does mean the world to me."

"Well of course," said Fubuki. "I like you far too much to leave you out in the cold, and you really do deserve better."

"I think we all do," said Sycamore. "Even still…it's hard for that stuff not to get to me sometimes."

"Whenever it does, let me know. I'll always be there to talk. And in a short matter of time, people should be coming around anyways. Utter nonsense that they talk like this now…"

"Mmh," said Sycamore. "True…"

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Fubuki refusing to take her eyes off of Sycamore as she took another drink. Sycamore watched back, staggered that Fubuki could somehow come off as flirtatious and confident even with a mouthful of wine. She swallowed and set the partially-empty glass down at her side.

"I like what you did here Sycamore," said Fubuki. "Very romantic of you."

Sycamore's heart began to pound, ratcheting up against his ribs.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, I guess it is, isn't it?"

"Very."

Sycamore swallowed down a drink of his own wine, the liquid burning at his throat.

"Fubuki…" he said. "I'm not really as good at the whole flirting thing as you are, not really…as confident as you with this sort of thing…"

"Sycamore," said Fubuki, putting a hand to her chest. "I think I've told you before, that you really don't have to be. Think of it as a dance, and I'll lead. I like to lead."

"Al-alright."

Fubuki smiled, her lips but a thin line across her face.

"Mmm," said Fubuki. She reached over across from the fireplace and pulled Sycamore closer, Sycamore going close to limp in her arms. He sidled over into her grasp, Fubuki holding him right up against her body. Sycamore laid his head in the crux of her neck, relaxing all his muscles against Fubuki and exhaling deeply. Then he felt something wet against the top of his head and he twitched. He was in utter shock.

"Did you…" he asked, his eyes widening. All he saw was the living room.

Another kiss planted on the top of his head. Sycamore melted into Fubuki's embrace.

"Ah…" he said, his heart oozing down into his stomach. He slid his hands down Fubuki's back, enamored.

"You like it?" she asked. "Because I do."

"I do…"

"Sycamore, you want to head to bed soon?"

"Bed?"

"You know, come sleep with me. I'm a little tired…"

"Uhhhhh…"

Fubuki chuckled.

"I don't mean like that," she said. "Just snuggling up and sleeping. I know you're not quite ready to go that far, we can take it slow…"

"Oh," said Sycamore. "Alright…that's fine…"

"You ready?" asked Fubuki.

"Yeah," said Sycamore, shuddering. "We can go."

The fire dimmed down, and Fubuki helped Sycamore to his feet. They collected the wine glasses and mugs to be set back in the kitchen, and Sycamore tossed his blanket back over the couch. He followed Fubuki to the bedroom and she stepped to the side as he entered.

The room itself was fairly small, not wide enough to fit the couch Sycamore had just been sitting on. The bed took up most of the space, white and adorned with fluffy pillows. Nonetheless, there seemed to be hardly enough room for two.

"It's a little small," said Fubuki. "But it's no big deal. Makes it cozy right?"

"I…I guess so," said Sycamore. "Um…"

"I'm going to change to something more comfortable," said Fubuki. "You get yourself into that bed mister."

"Alright," said Sycamore.

Internally, Sycamore felt like his insides had turned into a tornado, twisting and turning at the slightest provocation. He heard a door close behind him, and turned to see the door to an adjacent bathroom. Light shone from underneath the entryway. Sycamore crept his hands to his sides and pulled his shirt off, throwing it over the bed. Slowly he slid into the covers, wrapping himself up as he stared at the door to the bathroom.

_This is really happening, isn't it… _he thought. _All went so fast…ah, fucking Koros, if he were here, would be bragging about how he was right. Kind of miss the guy, least a bit, even if he was also an asshole…_

The light went off in the bathroom, sooner than Sycamore had expected. He turned his attention to the pillow that he was resting his head on.

_Just play it cool, _thought Sycamore. _Remember what Secter and Tatsumaki said, boundaries. Just gotta communicate, just gotta communicate…_

Fubuki emerged from the bathroom. She wore nothing but black lacy panties and a silky nightgown, a light shade of purple folding over her stomach and chest. The moonlight from the windows shone against her long pale legs, and she strode over to Sycamore, who slunk down into the blankets even further.

_How the fuck, _thought Sycamore. _How_ _am I supposed to resist someone like that? She's…she's ridiculously attractive! And I don't want to disappoint her either…ugh, just stay strong Sycamore, stay strong, you want her to be happy, but you don't want to be forced into anything either…_

Fubuki swung a leg over the bed, then another as she slid into the covers. She was practically on top of him, with there not being enough room for the both of them to sleep without touching one another in some way. Sycamore slid down far enough to rest his head at the top of her stomach, and Fubuki murmured something as she rubbed a hand across his cheek.

"Hmm?" asked Sycamore.

"You like it?" asked Fubuki.

"Like what?"

"Staying in here with me. And my nightgown."

"Well of course I do," said Sycamore. "Do you really need to ask?"

"Well you do get so nervous sometimes…" said Fubuki, smiling down at him. "But the nightgown, you like that too?"

"You'd look attractive in just about anything."

"Really…" said Fubuki, caressing down to Sycamore's neck. "Perhaps you can help me choose a swimsuit tomorrow too."

"Help?" asked Sycamore. "I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing…but why would you need help?"

"To help me pick the best one of course!"

"You'd look great in any of them Fubuki," said Sycamore, giving her a quizzical look. "And I feel like you know that, it's so obvious just how pretty you are."

"Is that right," said Fubuki, smirking.

"Well," said Sycamore, his mind freezing with worry. "Yeah. And…I'll admit, even back when we first met, and I said stuff like how you were a woman of high class, you remember that?"

"I remember."

"Well, that was kind of like…my roundabout way of saying you were attractive. Great clothes too, but mostly attractive."

"I kind of figured that," said Fubuki. "It wasn't that hard honestly."

"Oh," said Sycamore. "You're…too good at this."

Fubuki wrapped both her hands around Sycamore's head, pushing him up further towards her chest.

"I guess you could say that," she said.

"Yeah," said Sycamore. "Though, I am kind of surprised…"

"Surprised?"

"That you are even going after me, mostly due to looks. Like, I'm fine with how I look, but a human being attracted to a Soulless isn't that common from what I've heard…"

"Then consider me uncommon," said Fubuki. "I think you're cute in your own way."

"Heh," said Sycamore. "This is despite the fact that I look like a literal shadow demon."

"Sure you can look a little intimidating," said Fubuki. "But I know the truth, that deep down you're a real sweetheart, and that's what makes you so cute to me."

"Ah…" said Sycamore. "I see…"

"Now let's try to get some rest Sycamore," said Fubuki. "We have fun things planned tomorrow."

"Yes, let's."

"Good night Sycamore."

"Good night Fubuki."

. . .

Tatsumaki picked herself up from the ground, the front of her dress stained red and dripping off of her as it seemed to melt from fabric to liquid. Everything was hazy, the world a fog, and her mind was no better. She looked up to see an elongated tube, stretching up into the sky like a ten story building. There was something swirling inside the tube, twirling green and black and red liquids all merging together to form a cesspit of fluids. Tatsumaki fell backwards, crawling away as fast as she could back. Every foot she took to get backwards, the tube shrank in size, growing smaller and smaller as the black inside started to solidify into a tall, slender form.

"No," choked out Tatsumaki. "Stop this. No more."

No one was there to respond to her. Tatsumaki tried to get up, but as she did so, heard Secter's voice from behind her, shouting. Twisting her body, Tatsumaki struggled to look behind her, but for whatever reason, her body refused to move all the way. All she could see were a bunch of flames and dark shadows out of the corner of her eye, twisted beings of shadow all closing in on Secter's voice.

The tube smashed to the ground, embedding itself into the dirt. A black shadow writhed within, screaming silently to get out. Tatsumaki twitched, turning back towards it as her head pounded and pounded away. Pulling her aching body to her feet, Tatsumaki ran at the tube and started bashing on it with her hands, her dress staining her body as she slowly lost strength to beating away at the tube, more and more…

Tatsumaki opened her eyes, shivering. She was back in her bedroom, a soft snore echoing out beside her. Doused in sweat, Tatsumaki sat up from the bed, the blanket sticking to her nude body. Grumbling, she pulled it aside and swiveled around to sit at the edge of the bed, rubbing at her forehead with clammy hands.

"Ugh…" she muttered. Secter stirred in his sleep.

"Tatsu…" he murmured. "Honey, what's wrong…"

"You're awake?" asked Tatsumaki, looking back over at him. Secter's eyes were but slits, his mouth still half-open from snoring.

"Yeah…" he said. "Felt the bed move."

"Oh," said Tatsumaki. "Sorry."

Secter slid upwards into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and making his vision go black for a moment. He turned his focus to Tatsumaki, thin and slender and shaking in the moonlight. Somehow she looked paler than normal, which Secter didn't think was possible. He kicked the blanket off of him and crawled over next to Tatsumaki, just as naked as she was. Setting himself down next to her, he clamped his hands on the edge of the bed. Tatsumaki glanced over at him before turning back to the blinds.

"You alright?" asked Secter, his voice drained. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "You've had some too, haven't you?"

"From time to time," said Secter. "Usually about the same stuff, some more abstract than others. All of em…involve me losing you, or someone else, or myself."

"I thought I felt you twitching against me a couple of nights ago," said Tatsumaki. "Just didn't want to wake you." She sighed. "But why am I not surprised we're both having nightmares about this."

"What did you see?"

"Pretty sure it was my sister in a giant tube, or maybe it was me, and I could hear you in the background but not see you, and there were shadows and fire all around you…"

"Ah…"

"Again, felt totally powerless, achy, and even my clothes were turning to fucking blood, the hell does that mean?"

"Pain, I guess?" said Secter. "If you think about it, we've both gotten the shit kicked out of us a lot of times in a short amount of time."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. She glanced down at her stomach, a thin silver scar stretching all the way down from one side of the bottom of her ribs to the other. Then she looked over at Secter, spotting dozens of jagged scars of various sizes all over his muscled body. She took a finger and traced one of the scars along his side, dragging the tip across his skin. "We both have."

"And I agree with you what said earlier today," said Secter. "Need a break, really hope that we get one…"

"I guess all we can do is hope," said Tatsumaki. "I just…ugh."

She collapsed against Secter, keeping her eyes on his face. Two dark circles hung under his eyes.

"Sorry for waking you though," said Tatsumaki. "Tried to be quiet."

Secter smiled, looking over at the window.

"Tatsu it's totally fine," said Secter. "Not like we're getting up early tomorrow anyways. Plus, any time I get to spend with you is time I treasure."

"Mmm," said Tatsumaki, cuddling up against his side. "You always know what to say, don't you cutie?"

Secter smiled wider at her last word.

"I do my best," said Secter. "But ahh, you're right, I wish we could do more than hope. Granted, Sycamore and I can patrol, maybe we'll even run into friendly Soulless."

"Better than nothing I guess…" said Tatsumaki. "I just don't want any more asshole Soulless at _all_."

"You're not the only one," said Secter. He sighed and laid his head on top of Tatsumaki's.

They went quiet for a bit, both staring out the window.

"What are you thinking about Secter?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Cat," said Secter.

Tatsumaki's cheeks puffed out as she half-laughed, half-sputtered at him.

"No you aren't," said Tatsumaki. "Did you just say that to get a laugh out of me?"

"Well it worked didn't it? Plus…come on Tatsu, that cat was adorable."

"Secter," said Tatsumaki. "We don't need a cat."

"Ahhhh come onnnnnn," said Secter. "Tatsu…please?"

"Oh my God," said Tatsumaki. She leaned up and kissed him on the neck. "I'll think about it."

"That's not a no…"

"Mmm."

She kissed him on the cheek, pushing herself closer to him. Secter felt his blood start to run hot.

"You want to stay up for a bit?" asked Secter. "Or get to sleep?"

"We can lay down," said Tatsumaki. "Might be kind of hard to sleep…" She squinted over at his chin for a second, before leaning in and smooching him right where she was looking. Leaning back, she tilted her head.

"You got some stubble," said Tatsumaki. "Thought I saw it growing on you."

Secter rubbed his chin, feeling short black bristles poke his finger underneath.

"Hmm," he said. "You're right yeah, noticed them myself a while back ago…"

"Doesn't look too bad," said Tatsumaki. "You look hunky with a bit of stubble."

"Heh heh," said Secter. "Hunky?"

"You're hot," said Tatsumaki. "And the stubble fits you."

"I kinda like it too," said Secter. "Grizzled."

"Mmhmm," said Tatsumaki, smiling. She traced another scar along his chest with her finger. "You want to try to sleep?"

"Yeah," said Secter. "If you want."

"Ok," said Tatsumaki, wrapping her arms around Secter as he pressed his chest against hers. "Let's get some sleep."

"Alright," said Tatsumaki from the bathroom as Secter slipped on another sock. "Come look."

Secter shook his head, standing up in his normal casual wear. He was lucky to find a single pair of swim trunks along with the rest of his clothes, a red pair with white stripes that probably hadn't been worn in over a year. For now he wore a regular green t-shirt with jeans, his typical attire.

"Gotta keep it a secret eh?" asked Secter. "Even though…I've seen you both naked, and in your underwear."

"Yeah but you haven't seen me in this," said Tatsumaki. "Now get in here!"

"Alright I'm coming," said Secter. He set the pair of swimtrunks next to him on the bed. The blankets crumpled under his grasp as he rose, and he headed straight for the bathroom. In the middle of the place stood Tatsumaki, in a single black one-piece swimsuit with a frilly skirt-like bottom section. It clung to her almost as tight as her normal dress, and she swung from side to side to show off different angles of her body to Secter. He smiled, the sight of Tatsumaki showing herself off to him filling him with joy.

"Oh that's cute," said Secter. "You look great Tatsu."

"This or something…more revealing?" asked Tatsumaki. "Granted I could go with a bikini, though I've got that big scar now, actually got more than one…"

"I mean, just about everyone does by now," said Secter. "You still look amazing anyways."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "And whatever, your opinion is the only one I care about."

"And you already know what that is," said Secter.

Tatsumaki smiled back at him, thin and wide.

"I do," she said. "And I'm betting you like…the more revealing stuff."

"You can wear whatever you want," said Secter, laughing.

"I know, I'm just teasing you."

"Yeah yeah."

Tatsumaki looked over herself in the mirror. She looked good and she knew it.

"Hmm," she said. "I'll try the bikini too."

"Go for it," said Secter.

Tatsumaki started undressing as Secter looked over his chin in the mirror, occasionally glancing towards the edge of the mirror to catch a glimpse of Tatsumaki bending down with swimsuit at her feet. At one point she caught him doing so, and gave him a little wink as she shook her body at him. Secter laughed and went back to rubbing his chin, contemplating just how lucky he was to have found someone like Tatsumaki.

She slipped on the top part of a blue bikini, then the bottom part.

"Hmph," she said. "Little small, but not bad."

She turned around and put her fists on her hips, turning to her side while looking over at Secter. Tilting her head, she turned her tiny frown into a smile.

Secter slid around to face her, planting his hands on the countertop behind him.

"Wooooah," said Secter. "Lookin _good_ Tatsu!"

"Mmhmm," said Tatsumaki. "I kinda like it."

Secter eyed her up and down, from the ankles to her chest, then up to her eyes. Tatsumaki shook her head.

"Alright, enough gawking at me," said Tatsumaki. "Think I'll go with this."

"I'll check you out whenever I want," said Secter. "Not my fault you're so sexy."

Tatsumaki pushed up at her hair on one side, the curls turning further up at her fingers.

"Alright cutie," said Tatsumaki. "You ready to go?"

"Yep!" said Secter. "You got the directions from Fubuki?"

"Yeah it's not far," said Tatsumaki. "Let me just get a shirt and sandals on."

They collected their clothes, with Tatsumaki slipping on a long grey shirt that hung a bit further down her waist. Together they filled a felt bag with towels, sunscreen, a beach umbrella, and some snacks. Then they left the house, Tatsumaki and Secter conjoined at the elbow by locked arms. Happiness was all over them, their faces, in the stride, and within their hearts. A few clouds dotted the sky, but for now, there was not a hint of rain in sight. For now, everything would be ok.

They made it to the beach, the last ones to get there. Genos and Saitama were already splashing through the waves, causing a ruckus amongst the other swimmers. Metal Bat was busy building a sandcastle with Zenko, while King sat on a towel, his attention affixed to a small handheld device. Sycamore was laying relaxed on a beach chair taking in the sunshine. He had a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes along with some blue swimtrunks. Meanwhile Fubuki stood over him in a black bikini, telling him about how nice the water felt and how he was missing out by not swimming with her…

Fubuki looked up to see Secter and Tatsumaki approach the burning hot sands, and she grinned and waved, excited.

"Hey sis!" said Fubuki. "Hey Secter!"

"Hey Fubuki," said Secter, smiling.

"Hi sis," said Tatsumaki, beaming.

Secter and Tatsumaki got to work, flopping their towels out over the sand and laying them flat. Little mounds jutted out in the towels from the tiny hills of sand underneath. Next came sticking the beach umbrella in the ground, and unfolding it out to cover both towels in the shade. As Secter and Tatsumaki sat down on the towels, Fubuki finally pulled Sycamore out from his seat and started tugging him towards the ocean. He barely had time to throw his sunglasses down onto the hard plastic of the seat before Fubuki started shoving him towards the ocean.

"Ok, ok!" said Sycamore. "Jeez, no need to shove."

"Come onnn," said Fubuki. "Let's go swimming Sycamore, enough sitting around!"

Tatsumaki watched the two as Secter reached into the bag and retrieved the sunscreen. He squirted some onto his hands, recoiling at the wet sound the tube made.

"Those two," said Tatsumaki. "She's gonna push him around so much."

"Yeah," said Secter, rubbing his hands together. "He likes her, but she's gonna run all over him if he's not careful."

Tatsumaki closed her eyes and shook her head. She pulled her t-shirt off, tossing it aside. Secter laid his palms over her shoulders and she shivered, the cream ice-cold. Secter massaged the sunscreen onto Tatsumaki's neck, her back, legs, arms and stomach. He started to tickle her under the arms as he reached those last, but a nasty glare from Tatsumaki stopped him in his tracks. He chuckled as she smiled.

"Don't you dare," said Tatsumaki. "Don't you fucking dare."

"Alright alright," said Secter, cheekiness overcoming him. "I won't."

"Uh huh," said Tatsumaki. "Now take it off, I get to do you now."

Secter swallowed, remembering right where his ticklish spot was. He stripped down to his swimwear, and was treated to the same cold massage that he gave Tatsumaki. She stopped as she reached the small of his back, giving a downright evil grin at the back of his head. But ultimately she decided against it, and she finished the sunscreen rubdown with his forearms. They two of them then laid down and relaxed on the towels, Tatsumaki stretching out and reaching over for Secter's hand. He wrapped his fingers around her and they listened to the sounds of their friends shouting in the waves, Sycamore laughing as Fubuki splashed him with a cool spray of water.

It was calm, and it was serene, something Tatsumaki and Secter had craved for a long time. They relaxed with one another there on the beach, letting their worries melt away even if it was only for the moment. For now, they could just focus on all the great things they had, on all the triumphs and the bright future that lay ahead. Holding each other's hands tight, Secter and Tatsumaki basked in the shade and each other's company. It was time to be quiet, it was time to move forward. And most importantly, it was time to hold one another close.

. . .

**Author's note**: Thank you so much for reading to the end of this story, it was a grim one for sure but I hope you enjoyed the ride and the themes it explored! I think it's time Secter, Tats and all of their friends have a bit of rest, they certainly deserve it. There is one more part that I've written for Secter and Tats, a follow-up story that I mainly wrote for fun which follows our main cast after the events of The Only Way Is Up. It's more slice-of-lifey and less serious for the most part, with some fun and sweet moments for both couples but some trials and tribulations as well. There's also a spin-off that stems from this upcoming story, which I'm very excited to post since I'm real proud of it. Once part 4 of Secter and Tatsumaki is posted, I'll post the spin-off, and that'll be the end of their story. I had a lot of fun writing all of the parts, even if it was hard, but it's also time for me to get back to working on some original stories as well. Maybe one day you'll all get to see some of them published (I'm working on a couple right now!), but for now I'll be off. Thanks again for reading, and please feel free to leave feedback if you'd like! So long!


End file.
